DEEPHAVEN 

BY  SARAH  ORNE 
JEWETT 


BOSTON    AND    NEW   YORK 

HOUGHTON  MIFFLIN  COMPANY 

(Cbc  fltoewi&c  ptres  Cambridge 


COPYRIGHT,   1877,    BY  JAMES    R.  OSGOOD   &    CO. 
COPYRIGHT,    1905,    BY    SARAH    OKN£  JEWBTT 

ALL  RIGHTS   RESERVED 


TS 


. 

\ 

- 


PREFACE 

THIS  book  is  not  wholly  new,  several  of  the 
chapters  having  already  been  published  in  the 
"  Atlantic  Monthly." 

It  has  so  often  been  asked  if  Deephaven 
may  not  be  found  on  the  map  of  New  England 
under  another  name,  that,  to  prevent  any  mis- 
understanding, I  wish  to  say,  while  there  is 
a  likeness  to  be  traced,  few  of  the  sketches  are 
drawn  from  that  town  itself,  and  the  characters 
will  in  almost  every  case  be  looked  for  there 
in  vain. 

I  dedicate  this  story  of  out-of-door  life  and 
country  people  first  to  my  father  and  mother, 
my  two  best  friends,  and  also  to  all  my  other 
friends,  whose  names  I  say  to  myself  lovingly, 
though  I  do  not  write  them  here. 

S.  O.  J. 


369033 


CONTENTS 


PAOB 

KATE  LANCASTER'S  PLAN 1 

THE  BRANDON  HOUSE  AND  THE  LIGHTHOUSE  .  14 

MY  LADY  BRANDON  AND  THE  WIDOW  JIM    .     .  34 

DEEPHAVEN  SOCIETY 62 

THE  CAPTAINS 81 

DANNY 93 

CAPTAIN  SANDS 110 

THE  CIRCUS  AT  DENBY      .     '  .        .        .        .  121 

CuNNER-PlSHINQ 147 

MRS.  BONNY 187 

IN  SHADOW 203 

Miss  CHAUNCEY 223 

LAST  DAYS  IN  DEEPHAVEN 240 


DEEPHAVEN 

KATE  LANCASTER'S  PLAN 

I  HAD  been  spending  the  winter  in  Bos- 
ton, and  Kate  Lancaster  and  I  had  been 
together  a  great  deal,  for  we  are  the  best  of 
friends.  It  happened  that  the  morning  when 
this  story  begins  I  had  waked  up  feeling 
sorry,  and  as  if  something  dreadful  were  go- 
ing to  happen.  There  did  not  seem  to  be 
any  good  reason  for  it,  so  I  undertook  to 
discourage  myself  more  by  thinking  that  it 
would  soon  be  time  to  leave  town,  and  how 
much  I  should  miss  being  with  Kate  and  my 
other  friends.  My  mind  was  still  disquieted 
when  I  went  down  to  breakfast ;  but  beside 
my  plate  I  found,  with  a  hoped-for  letter 
from  my  father,  a  note  from  Kate.  To  this 
day  I  have  never  known  any  explanation  of 
that  depression  of  my  spirits,  and  I  hope 
that  the  good  luck  which  followed  will  help 
some  reader  to  lose  fear,  and  to  smile  at 
such  shadows  if  any  chance  to  come. 

Kate  had  evidently  written  to  me  in  an 


2  DEEPHAVEN 

excited  state  of  mind,  for  her  note  was  not 
so  trig-looking  as  usual;  but  this  is  what 
she  said:  — 

DEAR  HELEN,  —  I  have  a  plan  —  I  think 
it  a  most  delightful  plan — in  which  you  and 
I  are  chief  characters.  Promise  that  you  will 
say  yes ;  if  you  do  not  you  will  have  to  re- 
member all  your  life  that  you  broke  a  girl's 
heart.  Come  round  early,  and  lunch  with 
me  and  dine  with  me.  I  *m  to  be  all  alone, 
and  it 's  a  long  story  and  will  need  a  great 
deal  of  talking  over.  K. 

I  showed  this  note  to  my  aunt,  and  soon 
went  round,  very  much  interested.  My  latch- 
key opened  the  Lancasters'  door,  and  I  hur- 
ried to  the  parlor,  where  I  heard  my  friend 
practising  with  great  diligence.  I  went  up 
to  her,  and  she  turned  her  head  and  kissed 
me  solemnly.  You  need  not  smile;  we  are 
not  sentimental  girls,  and  are  both  much 
averse  to  indiscriminate  kissing,  though  I 
have  not  the  adroit  habit  of  shying  in  which 
Kate  is  proficient.  It  would  sometimes  be 
impolite  in  any  one  else,  but  she  shies  so 
affectionately. 

"Won't  you  sit  down,  dear?"  she  said, 


KATE  LANCASTER'S  PLAN  3 

with  great  ceremony,  and  went  on  with  her 
playing,  which  was  abominable  that  morn- 
ing; her  fingers  stepped  on  each  other,  and, 
whatever  the  tune  might  have  been  in  real- 
ity, it  certainly  had  a  most  remarkable  inco- 
herence as  I  heard  it  then.  I  took  up  the 
new  Littell  and  made  believe  read  it,  and 
finally  threw  it  at  Kate;  you  would  have 
thought  we  were  two  children. 

"  Have  you  heard  that  my  grand-aunt, 
Miss  Katharine  Brandon  of  Deephaveu,  is 
dead  ? "  I  knew  that  she  had  died  in  No- 
vember, at  least  six  months  before. 

"  Don't  be  nonsensical,  Kate  ! "  said  I. 
"  What  is  it  you  are  going  to  tell  me  ?  " 

"  My  grand-aunt  died  very  old,  and  was 
the  last  of  her  generation.  She  had  a  sister 
and  three  brothers,  one  of  whom  had  the 
honor  of  being  my  grandfather.  Mamma  is 
sole  heir  to  the  family  estates  in  Deephaven, 
wharf -property  and  all,  and  it  is  a  great  in- 
convenience to  her.  The  house  is  a  charm- 
ing old  house,  and  some  of  my  ancestors  who 
followed  the  sea  brought  home  the  greater 
part  of  its  furnishings.  Miss  Katharine  was 
a  person  who  ignored  all  frivolities,  and  her 
house  was  as  sedate  as  herself.  I  have  been 
there  but  little,  for  when  I  was  a  child  my 


4  DEEPHAVEN 

aunt  found  no  pleasure  in  the  society  of 
noisy  children  who  upset  her  treasures,  and 
when  I  was  older  she  did  not  care  to  see 
strangers,  and  after  I  left  school  she  grew 
more  and  more  feeble  ;  I  had  not  been  there 
for  two  years  when  she  died.  Mamma  went 
down  very  often.  The  town  is  -a  quaint  old 
place  which  has  seen  better  days.  There  are 
high  rocks  at  the  shore,  and  there  is  a  beach, 
and  there  are  woods  inland,  and  hills,  and 
there  is  the  sea.  It  might  be  dull  in  Deep- 
haven  for  two  young  ladies  who  were  fond 
of  gay  society  and  dependent  upon  excite- 
ment, I  suppose;  but  for  two  little  girls  who 
were  fond  of  each  other  and  could  play  in 
the  boats,  and  dig  and  build  houses  in  the 
sea-sand,  and  gather  shells,  and  carry  their 
dolls  wherever  they  went,  what  could  be 
pleasanter  ?  " 

"  Nothing,"  said  I  promptly. 

Kate  had  told  this  a  little  at  a  time,  with 
a  few  appropriate  bars  of  music  between, 
which  suddenly  reminded  me  of  the  story  of 
a  Chinese  procession  which  I  had  read  in 
one  of  Marryat's  novels  when  I  was  a  child : 
"  A  thousand  white  elephants  richly  capari- 
soned, —  ti-tum  tilly-lily,"  and  so  on,  for  a 
page  or  two.  She  seemed  to  have  finished 


KATE   LANCASTER'S   PLAN  5 

her  story  for  that  time,  and  while  it  was 
dawning  upon  me  what  she  meant,  she  sang 
a  bit  from  one  of  Jean  Ingelow's  verses :  — 

"  Will  ye  step  aboard,  my  dearest, 
For  the  high  seas  lie  before  us  ?  " 

and  then  came  over  to  sit  beside  me  and  tell 
the  whole  story  in  a  more  sensible  fashion. 

"  You  know  that  my  father  has  been  mean- 
ing to  go  to  England  in  the  autumn  ?  Yes- 
terday he  told  us  that  he  is  to  leave  in  a 
month  and  will  be  away  all  summer,  and 
mamma  is  going  with  him.  Jack  and  Willy 
are  to  join  a  party  of  their  classmates  who 
are  to  spend  nearly  the  whole  of  the  long 
vacation  at  Lake  Superior.  I  don't  care  to 
go  abroad  again  now,  and  I  did  not  like  any 
plan  that  was  proposed  to  me.  Aunt  Anna 
was  here  all  the  afternoon,  and  she  is  going 
to  take  the  house  at  Newport,  which  is  very 
pleasant  and  unexpected,  for  she  hates  house- 
keeping. Mamma  thought  of  course  that  I 
would  go  with  her,  but  I  did  not  wish  to  do 
that,  and  it  would  only  result  in  my  keep- 
ing house  for  her  visitors,  whom  I  know  very 
little ;  and  she  will  be  much  more  free  and 
independent  by  herself.  Beside,  she  can  have 
my  room  if  I  am  not  there.  I  have  promised 


6  DEEPHA YEN 

to  make  her  a  long  visit  in  Baltimore  next 
winter  instead.  I  told  mamma  that  I  should 
like  to  stay  here  and  go  away  when  I  choose. 
There  are  ever  so  many  visits  which  I  have 
promised ;  I  could  stay  with  you  and  your 
Aunt  Mary  at  Lenox  if  she  goes  there,  for 
a  while,  and  I  have  always  wished  to  spend 
a  summer  in  town ;  but  mamma  did  not  en- 
courage that  at  all.  In  the  evening  papa 
gave  her  a  letter  which  had  come  from  Mr. 
Dockum,  the  man  who  takes  care  of  Aunt 
Katharine's  place,  and  the  most  charming 
idea  came  into  my  head,  and  I  said  I  meant 
to  spend  my  summer  in  Deephaven. 

"  At  first  they  laughed  at  me,  and  then 
they  said  I  might  go  if  I  chose,  and  at  last 
they  thought  nothing  could  be  pleasanter, 
and  mamma  wishes  she  were  going  herself. 
I  asked  if  she  did  not  think  you  would  be 
the  best  person  to  keep  me  company,  and 
she  does,  and  papa  announced  that  he  was 
just  going  to  suggest  my  asking  you.  I  am 
to  take  Ann  and  Maggie,  who  will  be  over- 
joyed, for  they  came  from  that  part  of  the 
country,  and  the  other  servants  are  to  go 
with  Aunt  Anna,  and  old  Nora  will  come  to 
take  care  of  this  house,  as  she  always  does. 
Perhaps  you  and  I  will  come  up  to  town 


KATE   LANCASTER'S  PLAN  7 

once  in  a  while  for  a  few  days.  We  shall 
have  such  jolly  housekeeping.  Mamma  and 
I  sat  up  very  late  last  night,  and  everything 
is  planned.  Mr.  Dockum's  house  is  very  near 
Aunt  Katharine's,  so  we  shall  not  be  lonely ; 
though  I  know  you  're  no  more  afraid  of  that 
than  I.  O  Helen,  won't  you  go  ?  " 

Do  you  think  it  took  me  long  to  decide  ? 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lancaster  sailed  the  10th 
of  June,  and  my  Aunt  Mary  went  to  spend 
her  summer  among  the  Berkshire  Hills,  so 
I  was  at  the  Lancasters'  ready  to  welcome 
Kate  when  she  came  home,  after  having  said 
good-by  to  her  father  and  mother.  We  meant 
to  go  to  Deephaven  in  a  week,  but  were 
obliged  to  stay  in  town  longer.  Boston  was 
nearly  deserted  of  our  friends  at  the  last, 
and  we  used  to  take  quiet  walks  in  the  cool 
of  the  evening  after  dinner,  up  and  down  the 
street,  or  sit  on  the  front  steps  in  company 
with  the  servants  left  in  charge  of  the  other 
houses,  who  also  sometimes  walked  up  and 
down  and  looked  at  us  wonderingly.  We 
had  much  shopping  to  do  in  the  daytime, 
for  there  was  a  probability  of  our  spending 
many  days  indoors,  and  as  we  were  not  to 
be  near  any  large  town,  and  did  not  mean  to 
come  to  Boston  for  weeks  at  least,  there  was 


8  DEEPHAVEN 

a  great  deal  to  be  remembered  and  arranged. 
We  enjoyed  making  our  plans,  and  deciding 
what  we  should  want,  and  going  to  the  shops 
together.  I  think  we  felt  most  important  the 
day  we  conferred  with  Ann  and  made  out  a 
list  of  the  provisions  which  must  be  ordered. 
This  was  being  housekeepers  in  earnest.  Mr. 
Dockum  happened  to  come  to  town,  and  we 
sent  Ann  and  Maggie,  with  most  of  our 
boxes,  to  Deephaven  in  his  company  a  day 
or  two  before  we  were  ready  to  go  ourselves, 
and  when  we  reached  there  the  house  was 
opened  and  in  order  for  us. 

On  our  journey  to  Deephaven  we  left  the 
railway  twelve  miles  from  that  place,  and 
took  passage  in  a  stage-coach.  There  was 
only  one  passenger  beside  ourselves.  She  was 
a  very  large,  thin,  weather-beaten  woman, 
and  looked  so  tired  and  lonesome  and  good- 
natured,  that  I  could  not  help  saying  it  was 
very  dusty ;  and  she  was  apparently  delighted 
to  answer  that  she  should  think  everybody 
was  sweeping,  and  she  always  felt,  after  be- 
ing in  the  cars  a  while,  as  if  she  had  been 
taken  all  to  pieces  and  left  in  the  different 
places.  And  this  was  the  beginning  of  our 
friendship  with  Mrs.  Kew. 

After  this  conversation  we  looked  indus- 


KATE   LANCASTER'S  PLAN  9 

triously  out  of  the  window  into  the  pastures 
and  pine-woods.  I  had  given  up  my  seat  to 
her,  for  I  do  not  mind  riding  backward  in 
the  least,  and  you  would  have  thought  I  had 
done  her  the  greatest  favor  of  her  life.  I 
think  she  was  the  most  grateful  of  women, 
and  I  was  often  reminded  of  a  remark  one 
of  my  friends  once  made  about  some  one : 
"  If  you  give  Bessie  a  half -sheet  of  letter- 
paper,  she  behaves  to  you  as  if  it  were  the 
most  exquisite  of  presents  !  "  Kate  and  I  had 
some  fruit  left  in  our  lunch-basket,  and  di- 
vided it  with  Mrs.  Kew,  but  after  the  first 
mouthful  we  looked  at  each  other  in  dismay. 
"  Lemons  with  oranges'  clothes  on,  are  n't 
they  ?  "  said  she,  as  Kate  threw  hers  out  of 
the  window,  and  mine  went  after  it  for  com- 
pany ;  and  after  this  we  began  to  be  very 
friendly  indeed.  We  both  liked  the  odd  wo- 
man, there  was  something  so  straightforward 
and  kindly  about  her. 

"  Are  you  going  to  Deephaven,  dear  ?  "  she 
asked  me,  and  then  :  "  I  wonder  if  you  are 
going  to  stay  long?  All  summer?  Well, 
that 's  clever !  I  do  hope  you  will  come  out 
to  the  Light  to  see  me ;  young  folks  'most 
always  like  my  place.  Most  likely  your 
friends  will  fetch  you." 


10  DEEP HAVEN 

"Do  you  know  the  Brandon  house?" 
asked  Kate. 

"Well  as  I  do  the  meeting-house.  There! 
I  wonder  I  did  n't  know  from  the  beginning, 
but  I  have  been  a-trying  all  the  way  to  settle 
it  who  you  could  be.  I've  been  up  country 
some  weeks,  stopping  with  my  mother,  and 
she  seemed  so  set  to  have  me  stay  till  straw- 
berry-time, and  would  hardly  let  me  come 
now.  You  see  she  's  getting  to  be  old  ;  why, 
every  time  I  've  come  away  for  fifteen  years 
she 's  said  it  was  the  last  time  I  'd  ever  see 
her,  but  she 's  a  dreadful  smart  woman  of 
her  age.  '  He '  wrote  me  some  o'  Mrs.  Lan- 
caster's folks  were  going  to  take  the  Brandon 
house  this  summer;  and  so  you  are  the  ones? 
It 's  a  sightly  old  place ;  I  used  to  go  and 
see  Miss  Katharine.  She  must  have  left  a 
power  of  china-ware.  She  set  a  great  deal  by 
the  house,  and  she  kept  everything  just  as  it 
used  to  be  in  her  mother's  day." 

"  Then  you  live  in  Deephaven  too  ?  "  asked 
Kate. 

"I've  been  here  the  better  part  of  my 
life.  I  was  raised  up  among  the  hills  in  Ver- 
mont, and  I  shall  always  be  a  real  up-country 
woman  if  I  live  here  a  hundred  years.  The 
sea  does  n't  come  natural  to  me,  it  kind  of 


KATE   LANCASTER'S  PLAN  11 

worries  me,  though  you  won't  find  a  happier 
woman  than  I  be,  'long  shore.  When  I  was 
first  married  '  he '  had  a  schooner  and  went 
to  the  banks,  and  once  he  was  off  on  a  whal- 
ing voyage,  and  I  hope  I  may  never  come  to 
so  long  a  three  years  as  those  were  again, 
though  I  was  up  to  mother's.  Before  I  was 
married  he  had  been  'most  everywhere. 
When  he  came  home  that  time  from  whal- 
ing, he  found  I  'd  taken  it  so  to  heart  that 
he  said  he  'd  never  go  off  again,  and  then  he 
got  the  chance  to  keep  Deephaven  Light, 
and  we  've  lived  there  seventeen  years  come 
January.  There  is  n't  great  pay,  but  then 
nobody  tries  to  get  it  away  from  us,  and 
we  've  got  so 's  to  be  contented,  if  it  is  lone- 
some in  winter." 

"  Do  you  really  live  in  the  lighthouse?  I 
remember  how  I  used  to  beg  to  be  taken  out 
there  when  I  was  a  child,  and  how  I  used  to 
watch  for  the  light  at  night,"  said  Kate 
enthusiastically. 

So  began  a  friendship  which  we  both  still 
treasure,  for  knowing  Mrs.  Kew  was  one  of 
the  pleasantest  things  which  happened  to  us 
in  that  delightful  summer,  and  she  used  to  do 
so  much  for  our  pleasure,  and  was  so  good 
to  us.  When  we  went  out  to  the  lighthouse 


12  DEEPHAVEN 

for  the  last  time  to  say  good-by,  we  were 
very  sorry  girls  indeed.  We  had  no  idea  until 
then  how  much  she  cared  for  us,  and  her 
affection  touched  us  very  much.  She  told  us 
that  she  loved  us  as  if  we  belonged  to  her, 
and  begged  us  not  to  forget  her,  —  as  if  we 
ever  could !  —  and  to  remember  that  there 
was  always  a  home  and  a  warm  heart  for  us 
if  she  were  alive.  Kate  and  I  have  often 
agreed  that  few  of  our  acquaintances  are 
half  so  entertaining.  Her  comparisons  were 
most  striking  and  amusing,  and  her  com- 
ments upon  the  books  she  read  —  for  she 
was  a  great  reader  —  were  very  shrewd  and 
clever,  and  always  to  the  point.  She  was 
never  out  of  temper,  even  when  the  barrels 
of  oil  were  being  rolled  across  her  kitchen 
floor.  And  she  was  such  a  wise  woman ! 
This  stage-ride,  which  we  expected  to  find 
tiresome,  we  enjoyed  very  much,  and  we 
were  glad  to  think,  when  the  coach  stopped, 
and  "  he  "  came  to  meet  her  with  great  sat- 
isfaction, that  we  had  one  friend  in  Deep- 
haven  at  all  events. 

I  liked  the  house  from  my  very  first  sight 
of  it.  It  stood  behind  a  row  of  poplars 
which  were  as  green  and  flourishing  as  the 
poplars  which  stand  in  stately  processions  in 


KATE  LANCASTER'S  PLAN  13 

the  fields  around  Quebec.  It  was  an  imposing 
great  white  house,  and  the  lilacs  were  tall, 
and  there  were  crowds  of  rose-bushes  not  yet 
out  of  bloom ;  and  there  were  box  borders, 
and  there  were  great  elms  at  the  side  of  the 
house  and  down  the  road.  The  hall  door 
stood  wide  open,  and  my  hostess  turned  to 
me  as  we  went  in,  with  one  of  her  sweet, 
sudden  smiles.  "  Won't  we  have  a  good  time, 
Nelly  ?  "  said  she.  And  I  thought  we  should. 
So  our  summer's  housekeeping  began  in 
most  pleasant  fashion.  It  was  just  at  sunset, 
and  Ann's  and  Maggie's  presence  made  the 
house  seem  familiar  at  once.  Maggie  had 
been  unpacking  for  us,  and  there  was  a  de- 
licious supper  ready  for  the  hungry  girls. 
Later  in  the  evening  we  went  down  to  the 
shore,  which  was  not  very  far  away ;  the  fresh 
sea-air  was  welcome  after  the  dusty  day,  and 
it  seemed  so  quiet  and  pleasant  in  Deephaven. 


THE   BRANDON   HOUSE   AND  THE 
LIGHTHOUSE 

I  DO  not  know  that  the  Brandon  house  is 
really  very  remarkable,  but  I  never  have  been 
in  one  that  interested  me  in  the  same  way. 
Kate  used  to  recount  to  select  audiences  at 
school  some  of  her  experiences  with  her  Aunt 
Katharine,  and  it  was  popularly  believed  that 
she  once  carried  down  some  indestructible 
picture-books  when  they  were  first  in  fashion, 
and  the  old  lady  basted  them  for  her  to  hem 
round  the  edges  at  the  rate  of  two  a  day.  It 
may  have  been  fabulous.  It  was  impossible  to 
imagine  any  children  in  the  old  place  ;  every- 
thing was  for  grown  people  ;  even  the  stair- 
railing  was  too  high  to  slide  down  on.  The 
chairs  looked  as  if  they  had  been  put,  at  the 
furnishing  of  the  house,  in  their  places,  and 
there  they  meant  to  remain.  The  carpets 
were  particularly  interesting,  and  I  remem- 
ber Kate's  pointing  out  to  me  one  day  a  great 
square  figure  in  one,  and  telling  me  she  used  to 
keep  house  there  with  her  dolls  for  lack  of  a 
better  play-house,  and  if  one  of  them  chanced 


THE   BRANDON  HOUSE  15 

to  fall  outside  the  boundary  stripe,  it  was  im- 
mediately put  to  bed  with  a  cold.  It  is  a  house 
with  great  possibilities;  it  might  easily  be 
made  charming.  There  are  four  very  large 
rooms  on  the  lower  floor,  and  six  above,  a 
wide  hall  in  each  story,  and  a  fascinating  gar- 
ret over  the  whole,  where  were  many  myste- 
rious old  chests  and  boxes,  in  one  of  which  we 
found  Kate's  grandmother's  love-letters ;  and 
you  may  be  sure  the  vista  of  rummages  which 
Mr.  Lancaster  had  laughed  about  was  ex- 
plored to  its  very  end.  The  rooms  all  have 
elaborate  cornices,  and  the  lower  hall  is  very 
fine,  with  an  archway  dividing  it,  and  panel- 
lings of  all  sorts,  and  a  great  door  at  each 
end,  through  which  the  lilacs  in  front  and  the 
old  pensioner  plum  trees  in  the  garden  are 
seen  exchanging  bows  and  gestures.  Coming 
from  the  Lancasters'  high  city  house,  it  did 
not  seem  as  if  we  had  to  go  upstairs  at  all 
there,  for  every  step  of  the  stairway  is  so 
broad  and  low,  and  you  come  halfway  to  a 
square  landing  with  an  old  straight-backed 
chair  in  each  farther  corner ;  and  between 
them  a  large,  round-topped  window,  with  a 
cushioned  seat,  looking  out  on  the  garden 
and  the  village,  the  hills  far  inland,  and  the 
sunset  beyond  all.  Then  you  turn  and  go  up 


16  DEEPHAVEN 

a  few  more  steps  to  the  upper  hall,  where  we 
used  to  stay  a  great  deal.  There  were  more 
old  chairs  and  a  pair  of  remarkable  sofas, 
on  which  we  used  to  deposit  the  treasures 
collected  in  our  wanderings.  The  wide  win- 
dow which  looks  out  on  the  lilacs  and  the  sea 
was  a  favorite  seat  of  ours.  Facing  each  other 
on  either  side  of  it  are  two  old  secretaries, 
and  one  of  them  we  ascertained  to  be  the 
hiding-place  of  secret  drawers,  in  which  may 
be  found  valuable  records  deposited  by  our- 
selves one  rainy  day  when  we  first  explored 
it.  We  wrote,  between  us,  a  tragic  "  journal" 
on  some  yellow  old  letter-paper  we  found 
in  the  desk.  We  put  it  in  the  most  hidden 
drawer  by  itself,  and  flatter  ourselves  that  it 
will  be  regarded  with  great  interest  some  time 
or  other.  Of  one  of  the  front  rooms,  "  the  best 
chamber,"  we  stood  rather  in  dread.  It  is 
very  remarkable  that  there  seem  to  be  no 
ghost-stories  connected  with  any  part  of  the 
house,  particularly  this.  We  are  neither  of 
us  nervous ;  but  there  is  certainly  something 
dismal  about  the  room.  The  huge  curtained 
bed  and  immense  easy-chairs,  windows,  and 
everything  were  draped  in  some  old-fashioned 
kind  of  white  cloth  which  always  seemed  to 
be  waving  and  moving  about  of  itself.  The 


THE  BRANDON  HOUSE  17 

carpet  was  most  singularly  colored  with  dark 
reds  and  indescribable  grays  and  browns,  and 
the  pattern,  after  a  whole  summer's  study, 
could  never  be  followed  with  one's  eye.  The 
paper  was  captured  in  a  French  prize  some- 
where some  time  in  the  last  century,  and  part 
of  the  figure  was  shaggy,  and  therein  little 
spiders  found  habitation,  and  went  visiting 
their  acquaintances  across  the  shiny  places. 
The  color  was  an  unearthly  pink  and  a 
forbidding  maroon,  with  dim  white  spots, 
which  gave  it  the  appearance  of  having 
moulded.  It  made  you  low-spirited  to  look 
long  in  the  mirror  ;  and  the  great  lounge  one 
could  not  have  cheerful  associations  with, 
after  hearing  that  Miss  Brandon  herself  did 
not  like  it,  having  seen  so  many  of  her  rela- 
tives lie  there  dead.  There  were  fantastic 
china  ornaments  from  Bible  subjects  on  the 
mantel,  and  the  only  picture  was  one  of  the 
Maid  of  Orleans  tied  with  an  unnecessarily 
strong  rope  to  a  very  stout  stake.  The  best 
parlor  we  also  rarely  used,  because  all  the 
portraits  which  hung  there  had  for  some  un- 
accountable reason  taken  a  violent  dislike  to 
us,  and  followed  us  suspiciously  with  their 
eyes.  The  furniture  was  stately  and  very  un- 
comfortable, and  there  was  something  about 


18  DEEPBA YEN 

the  room  which  suggested  an  invisible  fu- 
ueral. 

There  is  not  very  much  to  say  about  the 
dining-room.  It  was  not  specially  interesting, 
though  the  sea  was  in  sight  from  one  of  the 
windows.  There  were  some  old  Dutch  pictures 
on  the  wall,  so  dark  that  one  could  scarcely 
make  out  what  they  were  meant  to  repre- 
sent, and  one  or  two  engravings.  There  was  a 
huge  sideboard,  for  which  Kate  had  brought 
down  from  Boston  Miss  Brandon's  own  sil- 
ver which  had  stood  there  for  so  many  years, 
and  looked  so  much  more  at  home  and  in 
place  than  any  other  possibly  could  have 
looked,  and  Kate  also  found  in  the  closet 
the  three  great  decanters  with  silver  labels 
chained  round  their  necks,  which  had  always 
been  the  companions  of  the  tea-service  in 
her  aunt's  lifetime.  From  the  little  closets 
in  the  sideboard  there  came  a  most  signifi- 
cant odor  of  cake  and  wine  whenever  one 
opened  the  doors.  We  used  Miss  Brandon's 
beautiful  old  blue  India  china  which  she  had 
given  to  Kate,  and  which  had  been  carefully 
packed  all  winter.  Kate  sat  at  the  head  and 
I  at  the  foot  of  the  round  table,  and  I  must 
confess  that  we  were  apt  to  have  either  a 
feast  or  a  famine,  for  at  first  we  often  for- 


THE   BRANDON  HOUSE  19 

got  to  provide  our  dinners.  If  this  were  the 
case  Maggie  was  sure  to  serve  us  with  most 
derisive  elegance,  and  make  us  wait  for  as 
much  ceremony  as  she  thought  necessary 
for  one  of  Mrs.  Lancaster's  dinner-parties. 

The  west  parlor  was  our  favorite  room 
downstairs.  It  had  a  great  fireplace  framed 
in  blue  and  white  Dutch  tiles  which  ingen- 
iously and  instructively  represented  the  ca- 
reers of  the  good  and  the  bad  man;  the 
starting-place  of  each  being  a  very  singular 
cradle  in  the  centre  at  the  top.  The  last  two 
of  the  series  are  very  high  art :  a  great  cof- 
fin stands  in  the  foreground  of  each,  and  the 
virtuous  man  is  being  led  off  by  two  dis- 
agreeable-looking angels,  while  the  wicked 
one  is  hastening  from  an  indescribable  but 
unpleasant  assemblage  of  claws  and  horns 
and  eyes  which  is  rapidly  advancing  from 
the  distance,  open-mouthed,  and  bringing  a 
chain  with  it. 

There  was  a  large  cabinet  holding  all  the 
small  curiosities  and  knick-knacks  there 
seemed  to  be  no  other  place  for,  —  odd 
china  figures  and  cups  and  vases,  unac- 
countable Chinese  carvings  and  exquisite 
corals  and  sea-shells,  minerals  and  Swiss 
wood-work,  and  articles  of  vertu  from  the 


20  DEEPHAVEN 

South  Seas.  Underneath  were  stored  boxes 
of  letters  and  old  magazines;  for  this  was 
one  of  the  houses  where  nothing  seems  to 
have  been  thrown  away.  In  one  parting  we 
found  a  parcel  of  old  manuscript  sermons, 
the  existence  of  which  was  a  mystery,  until 
Kate  remembered  there  had  been  a  gifted 
son  of  the  house  who  entered  the  ministry 
and  soon  died.  The  windows  had  each  a 
pane  of  stained  glass,  and  on  the  wide  sills 
we  used  to  put  our  immense  bouquets  of  field- 
flowers.  There  was  one  place  which  I  liked 
and  sat  in  more  than  any  other.  The  chim- 
ney filled  nearly  the  whole  side  of  the  room, 
all  but  this  little  corner,  where  there  was 
just  room  for  a  very  comfortable  high-backed 
cushioned  chair,  and  a  narrow  window  where 
I  always  had  a  bunch  of  fresh  green  ferns 
in  a  tall  champagne-glass.  I  used  to  write 
there  often,  and  always  sat  there  when  Kate 
sang  and  played.  She  sent  for  a  tuner,  and 
used  to  successfully  coax  the  long-imprisoned 
music  from  the  antiquated  piano,  and  sing 
for  her  visitors  by  the  hour.  She  almost 
always  sang  her  oldest  songs,  for  they 
seemed  most  in  keeping  with  everything 
about  us.  I  used  to  fancy  that  the  portraits 
liked  our  being  there.  There  was  one  young 


THE   BRANDON  HOUSE  21 

girl  who  seemed  solitary  and  forlorn  among 
the  rest  in  the  room,  who  were  all  middle- 
aged.  For  their  part  they  looked  amiable, 
but  rather  unhappy,  as  if  she  had  come  in 
and  interrupted  their  conversation.  We  both 
grew  very  fond  of  her,  and  it  seemed,  when 
we  went  in  the  last  morning  on  purpose  to 
take  leave  of  her,  as  if  she  looked  at  us  im- 
ploringly. She  was  soon  afterward  boxed 
up,  and  now  enjoys  society  after  her  own 
heart  in  Kate's  room  in  Boston. 

There  was  the  largest  sofa  I  ever  saw 
opposite  the  fireplace;  it  must  have  been 
brought  in  in  pieces,  and  built  in  the  room. 
It  was  broad  enough  for  Kate  and  me  to  lie 
on  together,  and  very  high  and  square;  but 
there  was  a  pile  of  soft  cushions  at  one  end. 
We  used  to  enjoy  it  greatly  in  September, 
when  the  evenings  were  long  and  cool,  and 
we  had  many  candles,  and  a  fire  —  and 
crickets  too  —  on  the  hearth,  and  the  dear 
dog  lying  on  the  rug.  I  remember  one  rainy 
night,  just  before  Miss  Tennant  and  Kitty 
Bruce  went  away ;  we  had  a  real  drift-wood 
fire,  and  blew  out  the  lights  and  told  stories. 
Miss  Margaret  knows  so  many  and  tells 
them  so  well.  Kate  and  I  were  unusually 
entertaining,  for  we  became  familiar  with 


22  DEEPHAVEN 

the  family  record  of  the  town,  and  could  re- 
count marvellous  adventures  by  land  and 
sea,  and  ghost-stories  by  the  dozen.  We  had 
never  either  of  us  been  in  a  society  consist- 
ing of  so  many  travelled  people !  Hardly  a 
man  but  had  been  the  most  of  his  life  at  sea. 
Speaking  of  ghost-stories,  I  must  tell  you 
that  once  in  the  summer  two  Cambridge 
girls  who  were  spending  a  week  with  us  un- 
wisely enticed  us  into  giving  some  thrilling 
recitals,  which  nearly  frightened  them  out 
of  their  wits,  and  Kate  and  I  were  finally  in 
terror  ourselves.  We  had  all  been  on  the  sofa 
in  the  dark,  singing  and  talking,  and  were 
waiting  in  great  suspense  after  I  had  finished 
one  of  such  particular  horror  that  I  declared 
it  should  be  the  last,  when  we  heard  foot- 
steps on  the  hall  stairs.  There  were  lights 
in  the  dining  -  room  which  shone  faintly 
through  the  half-closed  door,  and  we  saw 
something  white  and  shapeless  come  slowly 
down,  and  clutched  each  other's  gowns  in 
agony.  It  was  only  Kate's  dog,  who  came 
in  and  laid  his  head  in  her  lap  and  slept 
peacefully.  We  thought  we  could  not  sleep 
a  wink  after  this,  and  I  bravely  went  alone 
out  to  the  light  to  see  my  watch,  and,  find- 
ing it  was  past  twelve,  we  concluded  to  sit 


THE   BRANDON  HOUSE  23 

up  all  night  and  to  go  down  to  the  shore  at 
sunrise,  it  would  be  so  much  easier  than  get- 
ting up  early  some  morning.  We  had  been 
out  rowing  and  had  taken  a  long  walk  the 
day  before,  and  were  obliged  to  dance  and 
make  other  slight  exertions  to  keep  ourselves 
awake  at  one  time.  We  lunched  at  two,  and 
I  never  shall  forget  the  sunrise  that  morn- 
ing; but  we  were  singularly  quiet  and  ab- 
stracted that  day,  and  indeed  for  several 
days  after  Deephaven  was  "  a  land  in  which 
it  seemed  always  afternoon,"  we  breakfasted 
so  late. 

As  Mrs.  Kew  had  said,  there  was  "a 
power  of  china."  Kate  and  I  were  convinced 
that  the  lives  of  her  grandmothers  must  have 
been  spent  in  giving  tea-parties.  We  counted 
ten  sets  of  cups,  beside  quantities  of  stray 
ones;  and  some  member  of  the  family  had 
evidently  devoted  her  time  to  making  a  col- 
lection of  pitchers. 

There  was  an  escritoire  in  Miss  Brandon's 
own  room,  which  we  looked  over  one  day. 
There  was  a  little  package  of  letters;  ship 
letters  mostly,  tied  with  a  very  pale  and 
tired-looking  blue  ribbon.  They  were  in  a 
drawer  with  a  locket  holding  a  faded  minia- 
ture on  ivory  and  a  lock  of  brown  hair,  and 


24  DEEPHAVEN 

there  were  also  some  dry  twigs  and  bits  of 
leaf  which  had  long  ago  been  bright  wild- 
roses,  such  as  still  bloom  among  the  Deep- 
haven  rocks.  Kate  said  that  she  had  often 
heard  her  mother  wonder  why  her  aunt  never 
had  cared  to  marry,  for  she  had  chances 
enough  doubtless,  and  had  been  rich  and 
handsome  and  finely  educated.  So  there  was 
a  sailor  lover  after  all,  and  perhaps  he  had 
been  lost  at  sea  and  she  faithfully  kept  the 
secret,  never  mourning  outwardly.  "  And  I 
always  thought  her  the  most  matter-of-fact 
old  lady,"  said  Kate;  "yet  here's  her  ro- 
mance, after  all."  We  put  the  letters  out- 
side on  a  chair  to  read,  but  afterwards  care- 
fully replaced  them,  without  untying  them. 
I  'm  glad  we  did.  There  were  other  letters 
which  we  did  read,  and  which  interested  us 
very  much,  —  letters  from  her  girl  friends 
written  in  the  boarding-school  vacations,  and 
just  after  she  finished  school.  Those  in  one 
of  the  smaller  packages  were  charming;  it 
must  have  been  such  a  bright,  nice  girl  who 
wrote  them!  They  were  very  few,  and  were 
tied  with  black  ribbon,  and  marked  on  the 
outside  in  girlish  writing:  "My  dearest 
friend,  Dolly  McAllister,  died  September  3, 
1809,  aged  eighteen."  The  ribbon  had  evi- 


THE  BRANDON  HOUSE  25 

dently  been  untied  and  the  letters  read  many 
times.  One  began :  "  My  dear,  delightful  Kit- 
ten :  I  am  quite  overjoyed  to  find  my  father 
has  business  which  will  force  him  to  go  to 
Deephaven  next  week,  and  he  kindly  says  if 
there  be  no  more  rain  I  may  ride  with  him 
to  see  you.  I  will  surely  come,  for  if  there  is 
danger  of  spattering  my  gown,  and  he  bids 
me  stay  at  home,  I  shall  go  galloping  after 
him  and  overtake  him  when  it  is  too  late  to 
send  me  back.  I  have  so  much  to  tell  you." 
I  wish  I  knew  more  about  the  visit.  Poor 
Miss  Katharine !  it  made  us  sad  to  look  over 
these  treasures  of  her  girlhood.  There  were 
her  compositions  and  exercise-books;  some 
samplers  and  queer  little  keepsakes;  with- 
ered flowers  and  some  pebbles  and  other 
things  of  like  value,  with  which  there  was 
probably  some  pleasant  association.  "Only 
think  of  her  keeping  them  all  her  days," 
said  I  to  Kate.  "I  am  continually  throwing 
some  relic  of  the  kind  away,  because  I  for- 
get why  I  have  it!" 

There  was  a  box  in  the  lower  part  which 
Kate  was  glad  to  find,  for  she  had  heard  her 
mother  wonder  if  some  such  things  were  not 
in  existence.  It  held  a  crucifix  and  a  mass- 
book  and  some  rosaries,  and  Kate  told  me 


26  DEEPHAVEN 

Miss  Katharine's  youngest  and  favorite  bro- 
ther had  become  a  Roman  Catholic  while 
studying  in  Europe.  It  was  a  dreadful  blow 
to  the  family ;  for  in  those  days  there  could 
have  been  few  deeper  disgraces  to  the  Bran- 
don family  than  to  have  one  of  its  sons 
go  over  to  popery.  Only  Miss  Katharine 
treated  him  with  kindness,  and  after  a  time 
he  disappeared  without  telling  even  her 
where  he  was  going,  and  was  only  heard 
from  indirectly  once  or  twice  afterward.  It 
was  a  great  grief  to  her.  "And  mamma 
knows,"  said  Kate,  "that  she  always  had  a 
lingering  hope  of  his  return,  for  one  of  the 
last  times  she  saw  Aunt  Katharine  before  she 
was  ill  she  spoke  of  soon  going  to  be  with 
all  the  rest,  and  said,  'Though  your  Uncle 
Henry,  dear,'  —  and  stopped  and  smiled 
sadly;  'you'll  think  me  a  very  foolish  old 
woman,  but  I  never  quite  gave  up  thinking 
he  might  come  home.' " 

Mrs.  Kew  did  the  honors  of  the  lighthouse 
thoroughly  on  our  first  visit ;  but  I  think  we 
rarely  went  to  see  her  that  we  did  not  make 
some  entertaining  discovery.  Mr.  Kew's 
nephew,  a  guileless  youth  of  forty,  lived  with 
them,  and  the  two  men  were  of  a  mechani- 


THE  BRANDON  BOUSE  27 

cal  turn  and  had  invented  numerous  aids  to 
housekeeping, — appendages  to  the  stove,  and 
fixtures  on  the  walls  for  everything  that 
could  be  hung  up ;  catches  in  the  floor  to  hold 
the  doors  open,  and  ingenious  apparatus  to 
close  them;  but,  above  all,  a  system  of  bar- 
ring and  bolting  for  the  wide  "  fore  door," 
which  would  have  disconcerted  an  energetic 
battering-ram.  After  all  this  work  being  ex- 
pended, Mrs.  Kew  informed  us  that  it  was 
usually  wide  open  all  night  in  summer  wea- 
ther. On  the  back  of  this  door  I  discovered 
one  day  a  row  of  marks,  and  asked  their  sig- 
nificance. It  seemed  that  Mrs.  Kew  had  at- 
tempted one  summer  to  keep  count  of  the 
number  of  people  who  inquired  about  the  de- 
predations of  the  neighbors'  chickens.  Mrs. 
Kew's  bedroom  was  partly  devoted  to  the 
fine  arts.  There  was  a  large  collection  of  like- 
nesses of  her  relatives  and  friends  on  the  wall, 
which  was  interesting  in  the  extreme.  Mrs. 
Kew  was  always  much  pleased  to  tell  their 
names,  and  her  remarks  about  any  feature  not 
exactly  perfect  were  very  searching  and  crit- 
ical. "  That 's  my  oldest  brother's  wife,  Clo- 
rinthy  Adams  that  was.  She  's  well  featured, 
if  it  were  not  for  her  nose,  and  that  looks  as 
if  it  had  been  thrown  at  her,  and  she  was  n't 


28  DEEPHAVEN 

particular  about  baring  it  on  firm,  in  hopes 
of  getting  a  better  one.  She  sets  by  her  looks, 
though." 

There  were  often  sailing-parties  that  came 
there  from  up  and  down  the  coast.  One  day 
Kate  and  I  were  spending  the  afternoon  at 
the  Light ;  we  had  been  fishing,  and  were 
sitting  in  the  doorway  listening  to  a  remi- 
niscence of  the  winter  Mrs.  Kew  kept  school 
at  the  Four  Corners  ;  saw  a  boatful  coming, 
and  all  lost  our  tempers.  Mrs.  Kew  had  a 
lame  ankle,  and  Kate  offered  to  go  up  with 
the  visitors.  There  were  some  girls  and  young 
men  who  stood  on  the  rocks  a  while,  and  then 
asked  us,  with  much  better  manners  than  the 
people  who  usually  came,  if  they  could  see 
the  lighthouse,  and  Kate  led  the  way.  She 
was  dressed  that  day  in  a  costume  we  both 
frequently  wore,  of  gray  skirts  and  blue 
sailor- jacket,  and  her  boots  were  much  the 
worse  for  wear.  The  celebrated  Lancaster 
complexion  was  rather  darkened  by  the  sun. 
Mrs.  Kew  expressed  a  wish  to  know  what 
questions  they  would  ask  her,  and  I  followed 
after  a  few  minutes.  They  seemed  to  have 
finished  asking  about  the  lantern,  and  to 
have  become  personal. 

"  Don't  you  get  tired  staying  here  ?  " 


THE  BRANDON  HOUSE  29 

"No,  indeed!"  said  Kate. 

"  Is  that  your  sister  downstairs  ?  " 

"No,  I  have  no  sister." 

"  I  should  think  you  would  wish  she  was. 
Are  n't  you  ever  lonesome  ?  " 

"  Everybody  is,  sometimes,"  said  Kate. 

"  But  it 's  such  a  lonesome  place  !  "  said 
one  of  the  girls.  "  I  should  think  you  would 
get  work  away.  I  live  in  Boston.  Why,  it 's 
so  awful  quiet !  nothing  but  the  water,  and 
the  wind,  when  it  blows ;  and  I  think  either 
of  them  is  worse  than  nothing.  And  only 
this  little  bit  of  a  rocky  place !  I  should  want 
to  go  to  walk." 

I  heard  Kate  pleasantly  refuse  the  offer 
of  pay  for  her  services,  and  then  they  began 
to  come  down  the  steep  stairs  laughing  and 
chattering  with  each  other.  Kate  stayed  be- 
hind to  close  the  doors  and  leave  everything 
all  right,  and  the  girl  who  had  talked  the 
most  waited  too,  and  when  they  were  on  the 
stairs  just  above  me,  and  the  others  out  of 
hearing,  she  said,  "  You  're  real  good  to  show 
us  the  things.  I  guess  you  '11  think  I  'm  silly, 
but  I  do  like  you  ever  so  much  !  I  wish  you 
would  come  to  Boston.  I  'm  in  a  real  nice 

store,  —  H 's,  on  Winter  Street ;  and 

they  will  want  new  saleswomen  in  October. 


30  DEEPHAVEN 

Perhaps  you  could  be  at  my  counter.  I  'd 
teach  you,  and  you  could  board  with  me. 
I  've  got  a  real  comfortable  room,  and  I  sup- 
pose I  might  have  more  things,  for  I  get 
good  pay ;  but  I  like  to  send  money  home 
to  mother.  I  'm  at  my  aunt's  now,  but  I  am 
going  back  next  Monday,  and  if  you  will  tell 
me  what  your  name  is,  I  '11  find  out  for  cer- 
tain about  the  place,  and  write  you.  My 
name 's  Mary  Wendell." 

I  knew  by  Kate's  voice  that  this  had 
touched  her.  "  You  are  very  kind ;  thank 
you  heartily,"  said  she ;  "  but  I  cannot  go 
and  work  with  you.  I  should  like  to  know 
more  about  you.  I  live  in  Boston  too ;  my 
friend  and  I  are  staying  over  in  Deephaven 
for  the  summer  only."  And  she  held  out  her 
hand  to  the  girl,  whose  face  had  changed 
from  its  first  expression  of  earnest  good- 
humor  to  a  very  startled  one  ;  and  when  she 
noticed  Kate's  hand,  and  a  ring  of  hers, 
which  had  been  turned  round,  she  looked 
really  frightened. 

"  O,  will  you  please  excuse  me  ?  "  said  she, 
blushing.  "  I  ought  to  have  known  better  ; 
but  you  showed  us  round  so  willing,  and  I 
never  thought  of  your  not  living  here.  I 
did  n't  mean  to  be  rude." 


THE  BRANDON  HOUSE  31 

"  Of  course  you  did  not,  and  you  were  not. 
I  am  very  glad  you  said  it,  and  glad  you  like 
me,"  said  Kate ;  and  just  then  the  party 
called  the  girl,  and  she  hurried  away,  and  I 
joined  Kate.  "  Then  you  heard  it  all.  That 
was  worth  having  !  "  said  she.  "  She  was 
such  an  honest  little  soul,  and  I  mean  to 
look  for  her  when  I  get  home." 

Sometimes  we  used  to  go  out  to  the  Light 
early  in  the  morning  with  the  fishermen  who 
went  that  way  to  the  fishing-grounds,  but  we 
usually  made  the  voyage  early  in  the  after- 
noon if  it  were  not  too  hot,  and  we  went  fish- 
ing off  the  rocks  or  sat  in  the  house  with 
Mrs.  Kew,  who  often  related  some  of  her 
Vermont  experiences,  or  Mr.  Kew  would  tell 
us  surprising  sea -stories  and  ghost -stories 
like  a  story-book  sailor.  Then  we  would  have 
an  unreasonably  good  supper  and  afterward 
climb  the  ladder  to  the  lantern  to  see  the 
lamps  lighted,  and  sit  there  for  a  while 
watching  the  ships  and  the  sunset.  Almost 
all  the  coasters  came  in  sight  of  Deephaven, 
and  the  sea  outside  the  Light  was  their  grand 
highway.  Twice  from  the  lighthouse  we  saw 
a  yacht  squadron  like  a  flock  of  great  white 
birds.  As  for  the  sunsets,  it  used  to  seem 
often  as  if  we  were  near  the  heart  of  them, 


32  DEEPHA YEN 

for  the  sea  all  around  us  caught  the  color  of 
the  clouds,  and  though  the  glory  was  won- 
derful, I  remember  best  one  still  evening 
when  there  was  a  bank  of  heavy  gray  clouds 
in  the  west  shutting  down  like  a  curtain,  and 
the  sea  was  silver-colored.  You  could  look 
under  and  beyond  the  curtain  of  clouds  into 
the  palest,  clearest  yellow  sky.  There  was 
a  little  black  boat  in  the  distance  drifting 
slowly,  climbing  one  white  wave  after  an- 
other, as  if  it  were  bound  out  into  that  other 
world  beyond.  But  presently  the  sun  came 
from  behind  the  clouds,  and  the  dazzling 
golden  light  changed  the  look  of  everything, 
and  it  was  the  time  then  to  say  one  thought 
it  a  beautiful  sunset ;  while  before  one  could 
only  keep  very  still,  and  watch  the  boat,  and 
wonder  if  heaven  would  not  be  somehow  like 
that  far,  faint  color,  which  was  neither  sea 
nor  sky. 

When  we  came  down  from  the  lighthouse 
and  it  grew  late,  we  would  beg  for  an  hour 
or  two  longer  on  the  water,  and  row  away  in 
the  twilight  far  out  from  land,  where,  with 
our  faces  turned  from  the  Light,  it  seemed 
as  if  we  were  alone,  and  the  sea  shoreless ; 
and  as  the  darkness  closed  round  us  softly, 
we  watched  the  stars  come  out,  and  were 


THE   BRANDON  HOUSE  33 

always  glad  to  see  Kate's  star  and  my  star, 
which  we  had  chosen  when  we  were  children. 
I  used  long  ago  to  be  sure  of  one  thing,  — 
that,  however  far  away  heaven  might  be,  it 
could  not  be  out  of  sight  of  the  stars.  Some- 
times in  the  evening  we  waited  out  at  sea  for 
the  moonrise,  and  then  we  would  take  the 
oars  again  and  go  slowly  in,  once  in  a  while 
singing  or  talking,  but  oftenest  silent. 


MY  LADY  BRANDON  AND  THE  WIDOW  JIM 

WHEN  it  was  known  that  we  had  arrived 
in  Deephaven,  the  people  who  had  known 
Miss  Brandon  so  well,  and  Mrs.  Lancaster 
also,  seemed  to  consider  themselves  Kate's 
friends  by  inheritance,  and  were  exceedingly 
polite  to  us,  in  either  calling  upon  us  or  send- 
ing pleasant  messages.  Before  the  first  week 
had  ended  we  had  no  lack  of  society.  They 
were  not  strangers  to  Kate,  to  begin  with, 
and  as  for  me,  I  think  it  is  easy  for  me  to  be 
contented,  and  to  feel  at  home  anywhere.  I 
have  the  good  fortune  and  the  misfortune  to 
belong  to  the  navy,  —  that  is,  my  father  does, 
—  and  my  life  has  been  consequently  an  un- 
settled one,  except  during  the  years  of  my 
school  life,  when  my  friendship  with  Kate 
began. 

I  think  I  should  be  happy  in  any  town  if  I 
were  living  there  with  Kate  Lancaster.  I  will 
not  praise  my  friend  as  I  can  praise  her,  or 
say  half  the  things  I  might  say  honestly.  She 
is  so  fresh  and  good  and  true,  and  enjoys  life 
so  heartily.  She  is  so  childlike,  without  being 
childish ;  and  I  do  not  tell  you  that  she  is 


MY  LADY  BRANDON  35 

faultless,  but  when  she  makes  mistakes  she 
is  sorrier  and  more  ready  to  hopefully  try 
again  than  any  girl  I  know.  Perhaps  you 
would  like  to  know  something  about  us,  but 
I  am  not  writing  Kate's  biography  and  my 
own,  only  telling  you  of  one  summer  which 
we  spent  together.  Sometimes  in  Deephaven 
we  were  between  six  and  seven  years  old, 
but  at  other  times  we  have  felt  irreparably 
grown-up,  and  as  if  we  carried  a  crushing 
weight  of  care  and  duty.  In  reality  we  are 
both  twenty-four,  and  it  is  a  pleasant  age, 
though  I  think  next  year  is  sure  to  be  plea- 
santer,  for  we  do  not  mind  growing  older, 
since  we  have  lost  nothing  that  we  mourn 
about,  and  are  gaining  so  much.  I  shall  be 
glad  if  you  learn  to  know  Kate  a  little  in  my 
stories.  It  is  not  that  I  am  fond  of  her  and 
endow  her  with  imagined  virtues  and  graces  ; 
no  one  can  fail  to  see  how  unaffected  she  is, 
or  not  notice  her  thoughtfulness  and  gener- 
osity and  her  delightful  fun,  which  never  has 
a  trace  of  coarseness  or  silliness.  It  was  very 
pleasant  having  her  for  one's  companion,  for 
she  has  an  unusual  power  of  winning  people's 
confidence,  and  of  knowing  with  surest  in- 
stinct how  to  meet  them  on  their  own  ground. 
It  is  the  girl's  being  so  genuinely  sympathetic 


36  DEEPHAVEN 

and  interested  which  makes  every  one  ready 
to  talk  to  her  and  be  friends  with  her ;  just 
as  the  sunshine  makes  it  easy  for  flowers  to 
grow  which  the  chilly  winds  hinder.  She  is 
not  polite  for  the  sake  of  seeming  polite,  but 
polite  for  the  sake  of  being  kind,  and  there 
is  not  a  particle  of  what  Hugh  Miller  justly 
calls  the  insolence  of  condescension  about 
her ;  she  is  not  brilliantly  talented,  yet  she 
does  everything  in  a  charming  fashion  of  her 
own ;  she  is  not  profoundly  learned,  yet  she 
knows  much  of  which  many  wise  people  are 
ignorant,  and  while  she  is  a  patient  scholar 
in  both  little  things  and  great,  she  is  no  less 
a  teacher  to  all  her  friends,  —  dear  Kate 
Lancaster ! 

We  knew  that  we  were  considered  Miss 
Brandon's  representatives  in  Deephaven  so- 
ciety, and  this  was  no  slight  responsibility, 
as  she  had  received  much  honor  and  respect. 
We  heard  again  and  again  what  a  loss  she 
had  been  to  the  town,  and  we  tried  that  sum- 
mer to  do  nothing  to  lessen  the  family  repu- 
tation, and  to  give  pleasure  as  well  as  take 
it,  though  we  were  singularly  persistent  in 
our  pursuit  of  a  good  time.  1  grew  much  in- 
terested in  what  I  heard  of  Miss  Brandon, 
and  it  seems  to  me  that  it  is  a  great  privilege 


MY  LADY  BRANDON  37 

to  have  an  elderly  person  in  one's  neighbor- 
hood, in  town  or  country,  who  is  proud,  and 
conservative,  and  who  lives  in  stately  fashion ; 
who  is  intolerant  of  sham  and  of  useless  nov- 
elties, and  clings  to  the  old  ways  of  living 
and  behaving  as  if  it  were  part  of  her  reli- 
gion. There  is  something  immensely  respect- 
able about  the  gentlewomen  of  the  old  school. 
They  ignore  all  bustle  and  flashiness,  and  the 
conceit  of  the  younger  people,  who  act  as  if 
at  last  it  had  been  time  for  them  to  appear 
and  manage  this  world  as  it  ought  to  have 
been  managed  before.  Their  position  in  mod- 
ern society  is  much  like  that  of  the  King's 
Chapel  in  its  busy  street  in  Boston.  It  per- 
haps might  not  have  been  easy  to  approach 
Miss  Brandon,  but  I  am  sure  that  if  I  had 
visited  in  Deephaven  during  her  lifetime  I 
should  have  been  very  proud  if  I  had  been 
asked  to  take  tea  at  her  house,  and  should 
have  liked  to  speak  afterward  of  my  acquaint- 
ance with  her.  It  would  have  been  impossi- 
ble not  to  pay  her  great  deference ;  it  is  a 
pleasure  to  think  that  she  must  have  found 
this  world  a  most  polite  world,  and  have  had 
the  highest  opinion  of  its  good  manners. 
Noblesse  oblige :  that  is  true  in  more  ways 
than  one ! 


3G3033 


38  DEEPHAVEN 

I  cannot  help  wondering  if  those  of  us  who 
will  be  left  by  and  by  to  represent  our  own 
generation  will  seem  to  have  such  superior 
elegance  of  behavior ;  if  we  shall  receive  so 
much  respect  and  be  so  much  valued.  It  is 
hard  to  imagine  it.  We  know  that  the  world 
gains  new  refinements  and  a  better  culture  ; 
but  to  us  there  never  will  be  such  imposing 
ladies  and  gentlemen  as  these  who  belong  to 
the  old  school. 

The  morning  after  we  reached  Deephaven 
we  were  busy  upstairs,  and  there  was  a  de- 
termined blow  at  the  knocker  of  the  front 
door.  I  went  down  to  see  who  was  there,  and 
had  the  pleasure  of  receiving  our  first  caller. 
She  was  a  prim  little  old  woman  who  looked 
pleased  and  expectant,  who  wore  a  neat  cap 
and  front,  and  whose  eyes  were  as  bright  as 
black  beads.  She  wore  no  bonnet,  and  had 
thrown  a  little  three-cornered  shawl,  with 
palm-leaf  figures,  over  her  shoulders ;  and  it 
was  evident  that  she  was  a  near  neighbor. 
She  was  very  short  and  straight  and  thin, 
and  so  quick  that  she  darted  like  a  pickerel 
when  she  moved  about.  It  occurred  to  me 
at  once  that  she  was  a  very  capable  person, 
and  had  "  faculty,"  and,  dear  me,  how  fast 
she  talked!  She  hesitated  a  moment  when 


MY  LADY  BRANDON  39 

she  saw  me,  and  dropped  a  fragment  of  a 
courtesy.  "Miss  Lan'k'ster?"  said  she 
doubtfully. 

"No,"  said  I,  "I'm  Miss  Denis:  Miss 
Lancaster  is  at  home,  though :  come  in,  won't 
you?" 

"O  Mrs.  Patton!"  said  Kate,  who  came 
down  just  then.  "  How  very  kind  of  you  to 
come  over  so  soon!  I  should  have  gone  to 
see  you  to-day.  I  was  asking  Mrs.  Kew  last 
night  if  you  were  here." 

"  Land  o'  compassion ! "  said  Mrs.  Pat- 
ton,  as  she  shook  Kate's  hand  delightedly. 
" Where 'd  ye  s'pose  I'd  be,  dear?  I  ain't 
like  to  move  away  from  Deephaven  now, 
after  I  've  held  by  the  place  so  long,  I  've  got 
as  many  roots  as  the  big  ellum.  Well,  I 
should  know  you  were  a  Brandon,  no  matter 
where  I  see  you.  You  've  got  a  real  Brandon 
look ;  tall  and  straight,  ain't  you  ?  It 's  four 
or  five  years  since  I  saw  you,  except  once  at 
church,  and  once  you  went  by,  down  to  the 
shore,  I  suppose.  It  was  a  windy  day  in  the 
spring  of  the  year." 

"  I  remember  it  very  well,"  said  Kate. 
"Those  were  both  visits  of  only  a  day  or  two, 
and  I  was  here  at  Aunt  Katharine's  funeral, 
and  went  away  that  same  evening.  Do  you 


40  DEEP  HAVEN 

remember  once  I  was  here  in  the  summer 
for  a  longer  visit,  five  or  six  years  ago,  and 
I  helped  you  pick  currants  in  the  garden? 
You  had  a  very  old  mug." 

"  Now,  whoever  would  ha'  thought  o'  your 
rec'lecting  that  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Patton.  "  Yes. 
I  had  that  mug  because  it  was  handy  to 
carry  about  among  the  bushes,  and  then  I  'd 
empt'  it  into  the  basket  as  fast  as  I  got  it 
full.  Your  aunt  always  told  me  to  pick  all  I 
wanted  ;  she  could  n't  use  'em,  but  they  used 
to  make  sights  o'  currant  win«  in  old  times. 
I  s'pose  that  mug  would  be  considerable  of 
a  curiosity  to  anybody  that  was  n't  used  to 
seeing  it  round.  My  grand' ther  Joseph  Tog- 
gerson  —  my  mother  was  a  Toggerson  — 
picked  it  up  on  the  long  sands  in  a  wad  of 
sea-weed :  strange  it  was  n't  broke,  but  it 's 
tough ;  I  've  dropped  it  on  the  floor,  many  's 
the  time,  and  it  ain't  even  chipped.  There 's 
some  Dutch  reading  on  it  and  it's  marked 
1732.  Now  I  should  n't  ha'  thought  you  'd 
remembered  that  old  mug,  I  declare.  Your 
aunt  she  had  a  monstrous  sight  of  chiny. 
She 's  told  me  where  'most  all  of  it  come 
from,  but  I  expect  I  've  forgot.  My  memory 
fails  me  a  good  deal  by  spells.  If  you  had  n't 
come  down  I  suppose  your  mother  would  have 


MY  LADY  BRANDON  41 

had  the  chiny  packed  up  this  spring,  —  what 
she  did  n't  take  with  her  after  your  aunt  died. 
S'pose  she  has  n't  made  up  her  mind  what  to 
do  with  the  house  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  Kate ;  "  she  wishes  she  could ; 
it  is  a  great  puzzle  to  us." 

"I  hope  you  will  find  it  in  middling 
order,"  said  Mrs.  Patton  humbly.  "  Me  and 
Mis'  Dockum  have  done  the  best  we  knew, 
—  opened  the  windows  and  let  in  the  air  and 
tried  to  keep  it  from  getting  damp.  I  fixed 
all  the  woollens  with  fresh  camphire  and  to- 
bacco the  last  o'  the  winter ;  you  have  to  be 
dreadful  careful  in  one  o'  these  old  houses, 
'less  everything  gets  creaking  with  moths  in 
no  time.  Miss  Katharine,  how  she  did  hate 
the  sight  of  a  moth-miller !  There  's  some- 
thing I  '11  speak  about  before  I  forget  it :  the 
mice  have  eat  the  backs  of  a  pile  o'  old 
books  that 's  stored  away  in  the  west  cham- 
ber closet  next  to  Miss  Katharine's  room, 
and  I  set  a  trap  there,  but  it  was  older  'n  the 
ten  commandments,  that  trap  was,  and  the 
spring 's  rusty.  I  guess  you  'd  better  get 
some  new  ones  and  set  round  in  different 
places,  'less  the  mice  '11  pester  you.  There 
ain't  been  no  chance  for  'em  to  get  much  of 
a  living  'long  through  the  winter,  but  they  '11 


42  DEEPHAVEN 

be  sure  to  come  back  quick  as  they  find 
there 's  likely  to  be  good  board.  I  see  your 
aunt's  cat  setting  out  on  the  front  steps.  She 
never  was  no  great  of  a  mouser,  but  it  went 
to  my  heart  to  see  how  pleased  she  looks ! 
Come  right  back,  did  n't  she  ?  How  they  do 
hold  to  their  old  haunts  !  " 

"  Was  that  Miss  Brandon's  cat  ?  "  I  asked, 
with  great  interest.  "  She  has  been  upstairs 
with  us,  but  I  supposed  she  belonged  to 
some  neighbor,  and  had  strayed  in.  She 
behaved  as  if  she  felt  at  home,  poor  old 
pussy !  " 

"  We  must  keep  her  here,"  said  Kate. 

"  Mis'  Dockum  took  her  after  your  mother 
went  off,  and  Miss  Katharine's  maids,"  said 
Mrs.  Patton ;  "  but  she  told  me  that  it  was 
a  long  spell  before  she  seemed  to  feel  con- 
tented. She  used  to  set  on  the  steps  and 
cry  by  the  hour  together,  and  try  to  get  in, 
to  first  one  door  and  then  another.  I  used 
to  think  how  bad  Miss  Katharine  would 
feel;  she  set  a  great  deal  by  a  cat,  and  she 
took  notice  of  this  as  long  as  she  did  of  any- 
thing. Her  mind  failed  her,  you  know.  Great 
loss  to  Deephaven,  she  was.  Proud  woman, 
and  some  folks  were  scared  of  her;  but  I 
always  got  along  with  her,  and  I  would  n't 


MY  LADY  BRANDON  43 

ask  for  no  kinder  friend  nor  neighbor.  I  've 
had  my  troubles,  and  I  've  seen  the  day  I 
was  suffering  poor,  and  I  could  n't  have 
brought  myself  to  ask  town  help  nohow, 
but  I  wish  ye  'd  ha'  heared  her  scold  me 
when  she  found  it  out ;  and  she  come  march- 
ing into  my  kitchen  one  morning,  like  a 
grenadier,  and  says  she,  'Why  didn't  you 
send  and  tell  me  how  sick  and  poor  you 
are?'  says  she.  And  she  said. she  'd  ha'  been 
so  glad  to  help  me  all  along,  but  she  thought 
I  had  means,  —  everybody  did ;  and  I  see 
the  tears  in  her  eyes,  but  she  was  scolding 
me  and  speaking  as  if  she  was  dreadful  mad. 
She  made  me  comfortable,  and  she  sent  over 
one  o'  her  maids  to  see  to  me,  and  got  the 
doctor,  and  a  load  o'  stuff  come  up  from  the 
store,  so  I  did  n't  have  to  buy  anything  for 
a  good  many  weeks.  I  got  better  and  so 's  to 
work,  but  she  never 'd  let  me  say  nothing 
about  it.  I  had  a  good  deal  o'  trouble,  and 
I  thought  I  'd  lost  my  health,  but  I  had  n't, 
and  that  was  thirty  or  forty  years  ago.  There 
never  was  nothing  going  on  at  the  great 
house  that  she  did  n't  have  me  over,  sewing 
or  cleaning  or  company ;  and  I  got  so  that 
I  knew  how  she  liked  to  have  things  done. 
I  felt  as  if  it  was  my  own  sister,  though  I 


44  DEEPHAVEN 

never  had  one,  when  I  was  going  over  to 
help  lay  her  out.  She  used  to  talk  as  free 
to  me  as  she  would  to  Miss  Lorimer  or  Miss 
Carew.  I  s'pose  ye  ain't  seen  nothing  o' 
them  yet  ?  She  was  a  good  Christian  woman, 
Miss  Katharine  was.  *  The  memory  of  the 
just  is  blessed ' ;  that 's  what  Mr.  Lorimer 
said  in  his  sermon  the  Sunday  after  she 
died,  and  there  was  n't  a  blood-relation  there 
to  hear  it.  I  declare  it  looked  pitiful  to  see 
that  pew  empty  that  ought  to  ha'  been  the 
mourners'  pew.  Your  mother,  Mis'  Lancas- 
ter, had  to  go  home  Saturday,  your  father 
was  going  away  sudden  to  Washington,  I  've 
understood,  and  she  come  back  again  the 
first  of  the  week.  There !  it  did  n't  make  no 
sort  o'  difference,  p'r'aps  nobody  thought  of 
it  but  me.  There  had  n't  been  anybody  in 
the  pew  more  than  a  couple  o'  times  since 
she  used  to  sit  there  herself,  regular  as  Sun- 
day come."  And  Mrs.  Patton  looked  for  a 
minute  as  if  she  were  going  to  cry,  but  she 
changed  her  mind  upon  second  thought. 

"Your  mother  gave  me  most  of  Miss 
Katharine's  clothes;  this  cap  belonged  to 
her,  that  I  've  got  on  now ;  it 's  'most  wore 
out,  but  it  does  for  mornings." 

"  O,"  said  Kate,  "  I  have  two  new  ones 


MY  LADY  BRANDON  45 

for  you  in  one  of  my  trunks  !  Mamma  meant 
to  choose  them  herself,  but  she  had  not  time, 
and  so  she  told  me,  and  I  think  I  found  the 
kind  she  thought  you  would  like." 

"  Now  I  'm  sure !  "  said  Mrs.  Patton,  "  if 
that  ain't  kind ;  you  don't  tell  me  that  Mis' 
Lancaster  thought  of  me  just  as  she  was 
going  off?  I  shall  set  everything  by  them 
caps,  and  I  'in  much  obliged  to  you  too,  Miss 
Kate.  I  was  just  going  to  speak  of  that  time 
you  were  here  and  saw  the  mug ;  you  trimmed 
a  cap  for  Miss  Katharine  to  give  me,  real 
Boston  style.  I  guess  that  box  of  cap-fixings 
is  up  on  the  top  shelf  of  Miss  Katharine's 
closet  now,  to  the  left  hand,"  said  Mrs.  Pat- 
ton,  with  wistful  certainty.  "  She  used  to 
make  her  every-day  caps  herself,  and  she 
had  some  beautiful  materials  laid  away  that 
she  never  used.  Some  folks  has  laughed  at 
me  for  being  so  particular  'bout  wearing 
caps  except  for  best,  but  I  don't  know 's  it 's 
presuming  beyond  my  station,  and  somehow 
I  feel  more  respect  for  myself  when  I  have 
a  good  cap  on.  I  can't  get  over  your  mother's 
rec'lecting  about  me;  and  she  sent  me  a 
handsome  present  o'  money  this  spring  for 
looking  after  the  house^  I  never  should  have 
asked  for  a  cent ;  it 's  a  pleasure  to  me  to 


46  DEEPHAVEN 

keep  an  eye  on  it,  out  o'  respect  to  your 
aunt.  I  was  so  pleased  when  I  heard  you 
were  coming  long  o'  your  friend.  I  like  to 
see  the  old  place  open ;  it  was  about  as  bad 
as  having  no  meeting.  I  miss  seeing  the 
lights,  and  your  aunt  was  a  great  hand  for 
lighting  up  bright;  the  big  hall  lantern  was 
lit  every  night,  and  she  put  it  out  when  she 
went  upstairs.  She  liked  to  go  round  same  's 
if  it  was  day.  You  see  I  forget  all  the  time 
she  was  sick,  and  go  back  to  the  days  when 
she  was  well  and  about  the  bouse.  When 
her  mind  was  failing  her,  and  she  was  up- 
stairs in  her  room,  her  eyesight  seemed  to  be 
lost  part  of  the  time,  and  sometimes  she'd 
tell  us  to  get  the  lamp  and  a  couple  o'  can- 
dles in  the  middle  o'  the  day,  and  then  she  'd 
be  as  satisfied !  But  she  used  to  take  a  no- 
tion to  set  in  the  dark,  some  nights,  and 
think,  I  s'pose.  I  should  have  forty  fits,  if  I 
undertook  it.  That  was  a  good  while  ago ; 
and  do  you  rec'lect  how  she  used  to  play  the 
piano  ?  She  used  to  be  a  great  hand  to  play 
when  she  was  young." 

"  Indeed  I  remember  it,"  said  Kate,  who 
told  me  afterward  how  her  aunt  used  to  sit 
at  the  piano  in  the  twilight  and  play  to  her- 
self. "  She  was  formerly  a  skilful  musician," 


MY  LADY  BRANDON  47 

said  my  friend,  "  though  one  would  not  have 
imagined  she  cared  for  music.  When  I  was 
a  child  she  used  to  play  in  company  of  an 
evening,  and  once  when  I  was  here  one  of  her 
old  friends  asked  for  a  tune,  and  she  laugh- 
ingly said  that  her  day  was  over  and  her 
fingers  were  stiff ;  though  I  believe  she  might 
have  played  as  well  as  ever  then,  if  she  had 
cared  to  try.  But  once  in  a  while  when  she 
had  been  quiet  all  day  and  rather  sad  —  I 
am  ashamed  that.  I  used  to  think  she  was 
cross  —  she  would  open  the  piano  and  sit 
there  until  late,  while  I  used  to  be  enchanted 
by  her  memories  of  dancing-tunes,  and  old 
psalms,  and  marches  and  songs.  There  was 
one  tune  which  I  am  sure  had  a  history : 
there  was  a  sweet  wild  cadence  in  it,  and  she 
would  come  back  to  it  again  and  again,  al- 
ways going  through  with  it  in  the  same  mea- 
sured way.  I  have  remembered  so  many  things 
about  my  aunt  since  I  have  been  here,"  said 
Kate,  "  which  I  hardly  noticed  and  did  not 
understand  when  they  happened.  I  was  afraid 
of  her  when  I  was  a  little  girl,  but  I  think  if 
I  had  grown  up  sooner,  I  should  have  enjoyed 
her  heartily.  It  never  used  to  occur  to  me 
that  she  had  a  spark  of  tenderness  or  of  senti- 
ment, until  just  before  she  was  ill,  but  I  have 


48  DEEP HAVEN 

been  growing  more  fond  of  her  ever  since.  I 
might  have  given  her  a  great  deal  more  plea- 
sure. It  was  not  long  after  I  was  through 
school  that  she  became  so  feeble,  and  of  course 
she  liked  best  having  mamma  come  to  see  her ; 
one  of  us  had  to  be  at  home.  I  have  thought 
lately  how  careful  one  ought  to  be,  to  be  kind 
and  thoughtful  to  one's  old  friends.  It  is  so 
soon  too  late  to  be  good  to  them,  and  then 
one  is  always  so  sorry." 

I  must  tell  you  more  of  Mrs.  Patton ;  of 
course  it  was  not  long  before  we  returned  her 
call,  and  we  were  much  entertained  ;  we  al- 
ways liked  to  see  our  friends  in  their  own 
houses.  Her  house  was  a  little  way  down  the 
road,  unpainted  and  gambrel -roofed,  but  so 
low  that  the  old  lilac-bushes  which  clustered 
round  it  were  as  tall  as  the  eaves.  The  Widow 
Jim  (as  nearly  every  one  called  her  in  dis- 
tinction to  the  widow  Jack  Patton,  who  was 
a  tailoress  and  lived  at  the  other  end  of  the 
town)  was  a  very  useful  person.  I  suppose 
there  must  be  her  counterpart  in  all  old  New 
England  villages.  She  sewed,  and  she  made 
elaborate  rugs,  and  she  had  a  decided  talent 
for  making  carpets,  —  if  there  were  one  to  be 
made,  which  must  have  happened  seldom .  But 
there  were  a  great  many  to  be  turned  and 


MY  LADY  BRANDON  49 

made  over  in  Deephaven,  and  she  went  to  the 
Carews'  and  Lorimers'  at  house-cleaning  time 
or  in  seasons  of  great  festivity.  She  had  no 
equal  in  sickness,  and  knew  how  to  brew 
every  old-fashioned  dose  and  to  make  every 
variety  of  herb-tea,  and  when  her  nursing 
was  put  to  an  end  by  her  patient's  death,  she 
was  commander-in-chief  at  the  funeral,  and 
stood  near  the  doorway  to  direct  the  mourn- 
ing friends  to  their  seats ;  and  I  have  no  rea- 
son to  doubt  that  she  sometimes  even  had  the 
immense  responsibility  of  making  out  the 
order  of  the  procession,  since  she  had  all  gen- 
ealogy and  relationship  at  her  tongue's  end. 
It  was  an  awful  thing  in  Deephaven,  we 
found,  if  the  precedence  was  wrongly  assigned, 
and  once  we  chanced  to  hear  some  bitter  re- 
marks because  the  cousins  of  the  departed  wife 
had  been  placed  after  the  husband's  relatives, 
—  "  the  blood-relations  ridin'  behind  them 
that  was  only  kin  by  marriage !  I  don't  won- 
der they  felt  hurt ! "  said  the  person  who 
spoke ;  a  most  unselfish  and  unassuming  soul, 
ordinarily. 

Mrs.  Patton  knew  everybody's  seci-ets,  but 
she  told  them  judiciously  if  at  all.  She  chat- 
tered all  day  to  you  as  a  sparrow  twitters, 
and  you  did  not  tire  of  her ;  and  Kate  and  I 


60  DEEPHA YEN 

were  never  more  agreeably  entertained  than 
when  she  told  us  of  old  times  and  of  Kate's 
ancestors  and  their  contemporaries ;  for  her 
memory  was  wonderful,  and  she  had  either 
seen  everything  that  had  happened  in  Deep- 
haven  for  a  long  time,  or  had  received  the 
particulars  from  reliable  witnesses.  She  had 
known  much  trouble ;  her  husband  had  been 
but  small  satisfaction  to  her,  and  it  was  not 
to  be  wondered  at  if  she  looked  upon  all  pro- 
posed marriages  with  compassion.  She  was 
always  early  at  church,  and  she  wore  the  same 
bonnet  that  she  had  when  Kate  was  a  child ; 
it  was  such  a  well-preserved,  proper  black 
straw  bonnet,  with  discreet  bows  of  ribbon, 
and  a  useful  lace  veil  to  protect  it  from  the 
weather. 

She  showed  us  into  the  best  room  the  first 
time  we  went  to  see  her.  It  was  the  plainest 
little  room,  and  very  dull,  and  there  was  an 
exact  sufficiency  about  its  furnishings.  Yet 
there  was  a  certain  dignity  about  it ;  it  was 
unmistakably  a  best  room,  and  not  a  place 
where  one  might  make  a  litter  or  carry  one's 
e very-day  work.  You  felt  at  once  that  some- 
body valued  the  prim  old-fashioned  chairs, 
and  the  two  half-moon  tables,  and  the  thin 
carpet,  which  must  have  needed  anxious 


MY  LADY  BRANDON  51 

stretching  every  spring  to  make  it  come  to 
the  edge  of  the  floor.  There  were  some  mourn- 
ing-pieces by  way  of  decoration,  inscribed 
with  the  names  of  Mrs.  Patton's  departed 
friends,  —  two  worked  in  crewel  to  the  mem- 
ory of  her  father  and  mother,  and  two  paper 
memorials,  with  the  woman  weeping  under 
the  willow  at  the  side  of  a  monument.  They 
were  all  brown  with  age ;  and  there  was  a 
sampler  beside,  worked  by  "Judith  Beckett, 
aged  ten,"  and  all  five  were  framed  in  slen- 
der black  frames  and  hung  very  high  on 
the  walls.  There  was  a  rocking-chair  which 
looked  as  if  it  felt  too  grand  for  use,  and 
considered  itself  imposing.  It  tilted  far  back 
on  its  rockers,  and  was  bent  forward  at  the 
top  to  make  one's  head  uncomfortable.  It 
need  not  have  troubled  itself  ;  nobody  would 
ever  wish  to  sit  there.  It  was  such  a  big 
rocking-chair,  and  Mrs.  Patton  was  proud  of 
it ;  always  generously  urging  her  guests  to 
enjoy  its  comfort,  which  was  imaginary  with 
her,  as  she  was  so  short  that  she  could  hardly 
have  climbed  into  it  without  assistance. 

Mrs.  Patton  was  a  little  ceremonious  at 
first,  but  soon  recovered  herself  and  told  us 
a  great  deal  which  we  were  glad  to  hear.  I 
asked  her  once  if  slie  had  not  always  lived 


52  DEEPHAVEN 

at  Deephaven.  "  Here  and  beyond  East  Par- 
ish," said  she.  "  Mr.  Patton,  —  that  was  my 
husband,  —  he  owned  a  good  farm  there  when 
I  married  him,  but  I  come  back  here  again 
after  he  died ;  place  was  all  mortgaged.  I 
never  got  a  cent,  and  I  was  poorer  than  when 
I  started.  I  worked  harder  'n  ever  I  did  be- 
fore or  since  to  keep  things  together,  but  't 
was  n't  any  kind  o'  use.  Your  mother  knows 
all  about  it,  Miss  Kate,"  —  as  if  we  might 
not  be  willing  to  believe  it  on  her  authority. 
"I  come  back  here  a  widow  and  destitute, 
and  I  tell  you  the  world  looked  fair  to  me 
when  I  left  this  house  first  to  go  over  there. 
Don't  you  run  no  risks,  you  're  better  off 
as  you  be,  dears.  But  land  sakes  alive,  '  he ' 
did  n't  mean  no  hurt !  and  he  set  everything 
by  me  when  he  was  himself.  I  don't  make 
no  scruples  of  speaking  about  it,  everybody 
knows  how  it  was,  but  I  did  go  through  with 
everything.  I  never  knew  what  the  day  would 
bring  forth,"  said  the  widow,  as  if  this  were 
the  first  time  she  had  had  a  chance  to  tell  her 
sorrows  to  a  sympathizing  audience.  She  did 
not  seem  to  mind  talking  about  the  troubles 
of  her  married  life  any  more  than  a  soldier 
minds  telling  the  story  of  his  campaigns,  and 
dwells  with  pride  on  "the  worst  battle  of  all. 


MY  LADY  BRANDON  53 

Her  favorite  subject  always  was  Miss 
Brandon,  and  after  a  pause  she  said  that 
she  hoped  we  were  finding  everything  right 
in  the  house ;  she  had  meant  to  take  up  the 
carpet  in  the  best  spare  room,  but  it  did  n't 
seem  to  need  it ;  it  was  taken  up  the  year 
before,  and  the  room  had  not  been  used 
since,  there  was  not  a  mite  of  dust  under  it 
last  time.  And  Kate  assured  her,  with  an 
appearance  of  great  wisdom,  that  she  did 
not  think  it  could  be  necessary  at  all. 

"  I  come  home  and  had  a  good  cry  yes- 
terday after  I  was  over  to  see  you,"  said 
Mrs.  Patton,  and  I  could  not  help  wonder- 
ing if  she  really  could  cry,  for  she  looked  so 
perfectly  dried  up,  so  dry  that  she  might 
rustle  in  the  wind.  "Your  aunt  had  been 
failin'  so  long  that  just  after  she  died  it  was 
a  relief,  but  I  've  got  so 's  to  forget  all  about 
that,  and  I  miss  her  as  she  used  to  be;  it 
seemed  as  if  you  had  stepped  into  her  place, 
and  you  look  some  as  she  used  to  when  she 
was  young." 

"You  must  miss  her,"  said  Kate,  "and  I 
know  how  much  she  used  to  depend  upon 
you.  You  were  very  kind  to  her." 

"  I  sat  up  with  her  the  night  she  died," 
said  the  widow,  with  mournful  satisfaction. 


54  DEEP BAY EN 

"  I  have  lived  neighbor  to  her  all  my  life 
except  the  thirteen  years  I  was  married,  and 
there  was  n't  a  week  I  was  n't  over  to  the 
great  house  except  I  was  off  to  a  distance 
taking  care  of  the  sick.  When  she  got  to  be 
feeble  she  always  wanted  me  to  'tend  to  the 
cleaning  and  to  see  to  putting  the  canopies 
and  curtains  on  the  bedsteads,  and  she 
would  n't  trust  nobody  but  me  to  handle 
some  of  the  best  china.  I  used  to  say,  '  Miss 
Katharine,  why  don't  you  have  some  young 
folks  come  and  stop  with  you  ?  There  's  Mis' 
Lancaster's  daughter  a-growing  up ' ;  but 
she  did  n't  seem  to  care  for  nobody  but  your 
mother.  You  would  n't  believe  what  a  hand 
she  used  to  be  for  company  in  her  younger 
days.  Surprisin'  how  folks  alters.  When  I 
first  rec'lect  her  much  she  was  as  straight  as 
an  arrow,  and  she  used  to  go  to  Boston  visit- 
ing and  come  home  with  the  top  of  the  fashion. 
She  always  did  dress  elegant.  It  used  to  be 
gay  here,  and  she  was  always  going  down  to 
the  Lorimers'  or  the  Carews'  to  tea,  and  they 
coming  here.  Her  sister  was  married;  she 
was  a  good  deal  older;  but  some  of  her 
brothers  were  at  home.  There  was  your 
grandfather  and  Mr.  Henry.  I  don't  think 
she  ever  got  over  it,  —  his  disappearing  so. 


MY  LADY  BRANDON  55 

There  were  lots  of  folks  then  that 's  dead 
and  gone,  and  they  used  to  have  their  card- 
parties,  and  old  Cap'n  Manning  —  he 's  dead 
and  gone  —  used  to  have  'em  all  to  play 
whist  every  fortnight,  sometimes  three  or 
four  tables,  and  they  always  had  cake  and 
wine  handed  round,  or  the  cap'n  made  some 
punch,  like  's  not,  with  oranges  in  it,  and 
lemons ;  he  knew  how !  He  was  a  bachelor 
to  the  end  of  his  days,  the  old  cap'n  was, 
but  he  used  to  entertain  real  handsome.  I 
rec'lect  one  night  they  was  a-playin'  after 
the  wine  was  brought  in,  and  he  upset  his 
glass  all  over  Miss  Martha  Lorimer's  invis- 
ible-green watered  silk,  and  spoilt  the  better 
part  of  two  breadths.  She  sent  right  over  for 
me  early  the  next  morning  to  see  if  I  knew  of 
anything  to  take  out  the  spots,  but  I  did  n't, 
though  I  can  take  grease  out  o'  most  any 
material.  We  tried  clear  alcohol,  and  salera- 
tus-water,  and  hartshorn,  and  pouring  water 
through,  and  heating  of  it,  and  when  we 
got  through  it  was  worse  than  when  we 
started.  She  felt  dreadful  bad  about  it,  and 
at  last  she  says,  'Judith,  we  won't  work 
over  it  any  more,  but  if  you  '11  give  me  a 
day  some  time  or  'nother,  we  '11  rip  it  up 
and  make  a  quilt  of  it.'  I  see  that  quilt  last 


56  DEEPBA YEN 

time  I  was  in  Miss  Rebecca's  north  cham- 
ber. Miss  Martha  was  her  aunt;  you  never 
saw  her;  she  was  dead  and  gone  before  your 
day.  It  was  a  silk  old  Cap'n  Peter  Lorimer, 
her  brother,  who  left  'em  his  money,  brought 
home  from  sea,  and  she  had  worn  it  for  best 
and  second  best  eleven  year.  It  looked  as 
good  as  new,  and  she  never  would  have 
ripped  it  up  if  she  could  have  matched  it.  I 
said  it  seemed  to  be  a  shame,  but  it  was  a 
curi's  figure.  Cap'n  Manning  fetched  her 
one  to  pay  for  it  the  next  time  he  went  to 
Boston.  She  did  n't  want  to  take  it,  but  he 
would  n't  take  no  for  an  answer;  he  was 
free-handed,  the  cap'n  was.  I  helped  'em 
make  it  'long  of  Mary  Ann  Simms  the  dress- 
maker, —  she  's  dead  and  gone  too,  —  the 
time  it  was  made.  It  was  brown,  and  a 
beautiful-looking  piece,  but  it  wore  shiny, 
and  she  made  a  double-gown  of  it  before 
she  died." 

Mrs.  Patton  brought  Kate  and  me  some 
delicious  old-fashioned  cake  with  much  spice 
in  it,  and  told  us  it  was  made  by  old  Mrs. 
Chantrey  Brandon's  receipt  which  she  got  in 
England,  that  it  would  keep  a  year,  and  she 
always  kept  a  loaf  by  her,  now  that  she  could 
afford  it ;  she  supposed  we  knew  Miss  Katha- 


MY  LADY  BRANDON  57 

rine  had  named  her  in  her  will  long  before 
she  was  sick.  "  It  has  put  me  beyond  fear  of 
want,"  said  Mrs.  Patton.  "  I  won't  deny  that 
I  used  to  think  it  would  go  hard  with  me 
when  I  got  so  old  I  could  n't  earn  my  living. 
You  see  I  never  laid  up  but  a  little,  and  it 's 
hard  for  a  woman  who  comes  of  respectable 
folks  to  be  a  pauper  in  her  last  days ;  but 
your  aunt,  Miss  Kate,  she  thought  of  it  too, 
and  I  'm  sure  I  'm  thankful  to  be  so  com- 
fortable, and  to  stay  in  my  house,  which  I 
could  n't  have  done,  like 's  not.  Miss  Re- 
becca Lorimer  said  to  me  after  I  got  news 
of  the  will,  '  Why,  Mis'  Patton,  you  don't 
suppose  your  friends  would  ever  have  let  you 
want ! '  And  I  says,  '  My  friends  are  kind, 
—  the  Lord  bless  'em !  —  but  I  feel  better 
to  be  able  to  do  for  myself  than  to  be  be- 
holden.' " 

After  this  long  call  we  went  down  to  the 
post-office,  and  coming  home  stopped  for  a 
while  in  the  old  burying-ground,  which  we 
had  noticed  the  day  before  ;  and  we  sat  for 
the  first  time  on  the  great  stone  in  the  wall, 
in  the  shade  of  a  maple  tree,  where  we  so 
often  waited  afterward  for  the  stage  to  come 
with  the  mail,  or  rested  on  our  way  home 
from  a  walk.  It  was  a  comfortable  perch ; 


58  DEEPHAVEN 

we  used  to  read  our  letters  there,  I  remem- 
ber. 

I  must  tell  you  a  little  about  the  Deep- 
haven  burying-ground,  for  its  interest  was 
inexhaustible,  and  I  do  not  know  how  much 
time  we  may  have  spent  in  reading  the  long 
epitaphs  on  the  gravestones  and  trying  to 
puzzle  out  the  inscriptions,  which  were  often  so 
old  and  worn  that  we  could  only  trace  a  letter 
here  and  there.  It  was  a  neglected  corner  of 
the  world,  and  there  were  straggling  sumachs 
and  acacias  scattered  about  the  enclosure, 
while  a  row  of  fine  old  elms  marked  the 
boundary  of  two  sides.  The  grass  was  long 
and  tangled,  and  most  of  the  stones  leaned 
one  way  or  the  other,  and  some  had  fallen 
flat.  There  were  a  few  handsome  old  family 
monuments  clustered  in  one  corner,  among 
which  the  one  that  marked  Miss  Brandon's 
grave  looked  so  new  and  fresh  that  it  seemed 
inappropriate.  "  It  should  have  been  dingy 
to  begin  with,  like  the  rest,"  said  Kate  one 
day ;  "  but  I  think  it  will  make  itself  look 
like  its  neighbors  as  soon  as  possible." 

There  were  many  stones  which  were  sacred 
to  the  memory  of  men  who  had  been  lost  at 
sea,  almost  always  giving  the  name  of  the 
departed  ship,  which  was  so  kept  in  remem- 


MY  LADY  BRANDON  59 

brance ;  and  one  felt  as  much  interest  in  the 
ship  Starlight,  supposed  to  have  foundered 
off  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  as  in  the  poor 
fellow  who  had  the  ill  luck  to  be  one  of  her 
crew.  There  were  dozens  of  such  inscrip- 
tions, and  there  were  other  stones  perpetuat- 
ing the  fame  of  Honourable  gentlemen  who 
had  been  members  of  His  Majesty's  Council, 
or  surveyors  of  His  Majesty's  Woods,  or 
King's  Officers  of  Customs  for  the  town  of 
Deephaven.  Some  of  the  epitaphs  were  beau- 
tiful, showing  that  tenderness  for  the  friends 
who  had  died,  that  longing  to  do  them  jus- 
tice, to  fully  acknowledge  their  virtues  and 
dearness,  which  is  so  touching,  and  so  unmis- 
takable even  under  the  stiff,  quaint  expres- 
sions and  formal  words  which  were  thought 
suitable  to  be  chiselled  on  the  stones,  so  soon 
to  be  looked  at  carelessly  by  the  tearless  eyes 
of  strangers.  We  often  used  to  notice  names, 
and  learn  their  history  from  the  old  people 
whom  we  knew,  and  in  this  way  we  heard 
many  stories  which  we  never  shall  forget.  It 
is  wonderful,  the  romance  and  tragedy  and 
adventure  which  one  may  find  in  a  quiet  old- 
fashioned  country  town,  though  to  heartily 
enjoy  the  every-day  life  one  must  care  to 
study  life  and  character,  and  must  find  plea- 


60  DEEPUAVEN 

sure  in  thought  and  observation  of  simple 
things,  and  have  an  instinctive,  delicious  in- 
terest in  what  to  other  eyes  is  unflavored 
dulness. 

To  go  back  to  Mrs.  Patton ;  on  our  way 
home,  after  our  first  call  upon  her,  we  stopped 
to  speak  to  Mrs.  Dockum,  who  mentioned 
that  she  had  seen  us  going  in  to  the  "  Widow 
Jim's." 

"  Willin'  woman,"  said  Mrs.  Dockum,  "  al- 
ways been  respected;  got  an  uncommon  fa- 
cility o'  speech.  I  never  saw  such  a  hand 
to  talk,  but  then  she  has  something  to  say, 
which  ain't  the  case  with  everybody.  Good 
neighbor,  does  according  to  her  means  al- 
ways. Dreadful  tough  time  of  it  with  her 
husband,  shif'less  and  drunk  all  his  time. 
Noticed  that  dent  in  the  side  of  her  fore- 
head, I  s'pose  ?  That 's  where  he  liked  to 
have  killed  her ;  slung  a  stone  bottle  at  her." 

"  What!"  said  Kate  and  I,  very  much 
shocked. 

"  She  don't  like  to  have  it  inquired  about ; 
but  she  and  I  were  sitting  up  with  'Manda 
Darner  one  night,  and  she  gave  me  the  par- 
ticulars. I  knew  he  did  it,  for  she  had  a  fit 
o'  sickness  afterward.  Had  sliced  cucumberg 
for  breakfast  that  morning  ;  he  was  very 


MY  LADY  BRANDON  61 

partial  to  them,  and  he  wanted  some  vinegar. 
Happened  to  be  two  bottles  in  the  cellar- 
way  ;  were  just  alike,  and  one  of  'em  was 
vinegar  and  the  other  had  sperrit  in  it  at 
haying-time.  He  takes  up  the  wrong  one  and 
pours  on  quick,  and  out  come  the  hayseed 
and  flies,  and  he  give  the  bottle  a  sling,  and 
it  hit  her  there  where  you  see  the  scar ;  might 
put  the  end  of  your  finger  into  the  dent.  He 
said  he  meant  to  break  the  bottle  ag'in  the 
door,  but  it  went  slantwise,  sort  of.  I  don' 
know,  I  'm  sure  "  (meditatively).  "  She  said 
he  was  good-natured ;  it  was  early  in  the 
mornin',  and  he  had  n't  had  time  to  get  up- 
set ;  but  he  had  a  high  temper  naturally,  and 
so  much  drink  hadn't  made  it  much  bet- 
ter. She  had  good  prospects  when  she  mar- 
ried him.  Six-foot-two  and  red  cheeks  and 
straight  as  a  Noroway  pine  ;  had  a  good  pro- 
perty from  his  father,  and  his  mother  come 
of  a  good  family,  but  he  died  in  debt ;  drank 
like  a  fish.  Yes,  't  was  a  shame,  nice  woman  ; 
good  consistent  church-member ;  always  been 
respected ;  useful  among  the  sick." 


DEEPHAVEN   SOCIETY 

IT  was  curious  to  notice,  in  this  quaint 
little  fishing-village  by  the  sea,  how  clearly 
the  gradations  of  society  were  defined.  The 
place  prided  itself  most  upon  having  been 
long  ago  the  residence  of  one  Governor 
Chantrey,  who  was  a  rich  ship-owner  and 
East  India  merchant,  and  whose  fame  and 
magnificence  were  almost  fabulous.  It  was 
a  never-ceasing  regret  that  his  house  should 
have  burned  down  after  he  died,  and  there 
is  no  doubt  that  if  it  were  still  standing  it 
would  rival  any  ruin  of  the  Old  World. 

The  elderly  people,  though  laying  claim  to 
no  slight  degree  of  present  consequence, 
modestly  ignored  it,  and  spoke  with  pride  of 
the  grand  way  in  which  life  was  carried  on 
by  their  ancestors,  the  Deephaven  families 
of  old  times.  I  think  Kate  and  I  were  as- 
sured at  least  a  hundred  times  that  Governor 
Chantrey  kept  a  valet,  and  his  wife,  Lady 
Chantrey,  kept  a  maid,  and  that  the  gov- 
ernor had  an  uncle  in  England  who  was  a 
baronet ;  and  I  believe  this  must  have  been 
why  our  friends  felt  so  deep  an  interest  in 


DEEPHAVEN  SOCIETY  63 

the  affairs  of  the  English  nobility :  they  no 
doubt  felt  themselves  entitled  to  seats  near 
the  throne  itself.  There  were  formerly  five 
families  who  kept  their  coaches  in  Deepha- 
ven ;  there  were  balls  at  the  governor's,  and 
regal  entertainments  at  other  of  the  grand 
mansions ;  there  is  not  a  really  distinguished 
person  in  the  country  who  will  not  prove  to 
have  been  directly  or  indirectly  connected 
with  Deephaven.  We  were  shown  the  cellar 
of  the  Chantrey  house,  and  the  terraces,  and 
a  few  clumps  of  lilacs,  and  the  grand  rows 
of  elms.  There  are  still  two  of  the  governor's 
warehouses  left,  but  his  ruined  wharves  are 
fast  disappearing,  and  are  almost  deserted, 
except  by  small  barefooted  boys  who  sit  on 
the  edges  to  fish  for  sea-perch  when  the  tide 
comes  in.  There  is  an  imposing  monument 
in  the  burying-ground  to  the  great  man  and 
his  amiable  consort.  I  am  sure  that  if  there 
were  any  surviving  relatives  of  the  governor 
they  would  receive  in  Deephaven  far  more 
deference  than  is  consistent  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  a  republican  government ;  but  the 
family  became  extinct  long  since,  and  I  have 
heard,  though  it  is  not  a  subject  that  one 
may  speak  of  lightly,  that  the  sons  were 
unworthy  their  noble  descent  and  came  to 
inglorious  ends. 


64  DEEPHAVEN 

There  were  still  remaining  a  few  represen- 
tatives of  the  old  families,  who  were  treated 
with  much  reverence  by  the  rest  of  the  towns- 
people, although  they  were,  like  the  conies  of 
Scripture,  a  feeble  folk. 

Deephaven  is  utterly  out  of  fashion.  It 
never  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  em- 
bargo of  1807,  and  a  sand-bar  has  been 
steadily  filling  in  the  mouth  of  the  harbor. 
Though  the  fishing  gives  what  occupation 
there  is  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  place,  it 
is  by  no  means  sufficient  to  draw  recruits 
from  abroad.  But  nobody  in  Deephaven  cares 
for  excitement,  and  if  some  one  once  in  a 
while  has  the  low  taste  to  prefer  a  more  ac- 
tive life,  he  is  obliged  to  go  elsewhere  in 
search  of  it,  and  is  spoken  of  afterward  with 
kind  pity.  I  well  remember  the  Widow  Moses 
said  to  me,  in  speaking  of  a  certain  mis- 
guided nephew  of  hers,  "  I  never  could  see 
what  could  'a'  sot  him  out  to  leave  so  many 
privileges  and  go  way  off  to  Lynn,  with  all 
them  children  too.  Why,  they  lived  here  no 
more  than  a  cable's  length  from  the  meetin'- 
house ! " 

There  were  two  schooners  owned  in  town, 
and  'Bijah  Mauley  and  Jo  Sands  owned  a 
trawl.  There  were  some  schooners  and  a 


DEEPHAVEN  SOCIETY  65 

small  brig  slowly  going  to  pieces  by  the 
wharves,  and  indeed  all  Deephaven  looked 
more  or  less  out  of  repair.  All  along  shore 
one  might  see  dories  and  wherries  and  whale- 
boats,  which  had  been  left  to  die  a  lingering 
death.  There  is  something  piteous  to  me  in 
the  sight  of  an  old  boat.  If  one  I  had  used 
much  and  cared  for  were  past  its  usefulness, 
I  should  say  good-by  to  it,  and  have  it  towed 
out  to  sea  and  sunk;  it  never  should  be  left 
to  fall  to  pieces  above  high-water  mark. 

Even  the  commonest  fishermen  felt  a  sat- 
isfaction, and  seemed  to  realize  their  privi- 
lege, in  being  residents  of  Deephaven  ;  but 
among  the  nobility  and  gentry  there  lingered 
a  fierce  pride  in  their  family  and  town  re- 
cords, and  a  hardly  concealed  contempt  and 
pity  for  people  who  were  obliged  to  live  in 
other  parts  of  the  world.  There  were  ac- 
knowledged to  be  a  few  disadvantages,  — 
such  as  living  nearly  a  dozen  miles  from  the 
railway,  —  but,  as  Miss  Honora  Carew  said, 
the  tone  of  Deephaven  society  had  always 
been  very  high,  and  it  was  very  nice  that 
there  had  never  been  any  manufacturing 
element  introduced.  She  could  not  feel  too 
grateful,  herself,  that  there  was  no  disagree- 
able foreign  population. 


66  DEEPBAVEN 

"But,"  said  Kate  one  day,  "wouldn't 
you  like  to  have  some  pleasant  new  people 
brought  into  town  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  my  dear,"  said  Miss  Honora 
rather  doubtfully ;  "  I  have  always  been 
public-spirited  ;  but  then,  we  always  have 
guests  in  summer,  and  I  am  growing  old.  I 
should  not  care  to  enlarge  my  acquaintance 
to  any  great  extent."  Miss  Honora  and  Mrs. 
Dent  had  lived  gay  lives  in  their  younger 
days,  and  were  interested  and  connected 
with  the  outside  world  more  than  any  of  our 
Deephaven  friends  ;  but  they  were  quite  con- 
tented to  stay  in  their  own  house,  with  their 
books  and  letters  and  knitting,  and  they 
carefully  read  Littell  and  "  the  new  maga- 
zine," as  they  called  the  Atlantic. 

The  Carews  were  very  intimate  with  the 
minister  and  his  sister,  and  there  were  one 
or  two  others  who  belonged  to  this  set. 
There  was  Mr.  Joshua  Dorsey,  who  wore  his 
hair  in  a  queue,  was  very  deaf,  and  carried 
a  ponderous  cane  which  had  belonged  to  his 
venerated  father,  —  a  much  taller  man  than 
he.  He  was  polite  to  Kate  and  me,  but  we 
never  knew  him  much.  He  went  to  play 
whist  with  the  Carews  every  Monday  even- 
ing, and  commonly  went  out  fishing  once  a 


DEEPHAVEN  SOCIETY  67 

week.  He  had  begun  the  practice  of  law, 
but  he  had  lost  his  hearing,  and  at  the  same 
time  his  lady-love  had  inconsiderately  fallen 
in  love  with  somebody  else ;  after  which  he 
retired  from  active  business  life.  He  had  a 
fine  library,  which  he  invited  us  to  examine. 
He  had  many  new  books,  but  they  looked 
shockingly  overdressed,  in  their  fresher  bind- 
ings, beside  the  old  brown  volumes  of  essays 
and  sermons,  and  lighter  works  in  many- 
volume  editions. 

A  prominent  link  in  society  was  Widow 
Tully,  who  had  been  the  much-respected 
housekeeper  of  old  Captain  Manning  for 
forty  years.  When  he  died  he  left  her  the 
use  of  his  house  and  family  pew,  besides  an 
annuity.  The  existence  of  Mr.  Tully  seemed 
to  be  a  myth.  During  the  first  of  his  widow's 
residence  in  town  she  had  been  much  affected 
when  obliged  to  speak  of  him,  and  always 
represented  herself  as  having  seen  better 
days  and  as  being  highly  connected.  But 
she  was  apt  to  be  ungrammatical  when  ex- 
cited, and  there  was  a  whispered  tradition 
that  she  used  to  keep  a  toll-bridge  in  a  town 
in  Connecticut;  though  the  mystery  of  her 
previous  state  of  existence  will  probably 
never  be  solved.  She  wore  mourning  for  the 


68  DEEPBAVEN 

captain  which  would  have  befitted  his  widow, 
and  patronized  the  townspeople  conspicu- 
ously, while  she  herself  was  treated  with  much 
condescension  by  the  Carews  and  Lorimers. 
She  occupied,  on  the  whole,  much  the  same 
position  that  Mrs.  Betty  Barker  did  in  Gran- 
ford.  And,  indeed,  Kate  and  I  were  often  re- 
minded of  that  estimable  town.  We  heard 
that  Kate's  aunt,  Miss  Brandon,  had  .never 
been  appreciative  of  Mrs.  Tully's  merits,  and 
that  since  her  death  the  others  had  received 
Mrs.  Tully  into  their  society  rather  more. 

It  seemed  as  if  all  the  clocks  in  Deep- 
haven,  and  all  the  people  with  them,  had 
stopped  years  ago,  and  the  people  had  been 
doing  over  and  over  what  they  had  been 
busy  about  during  the  last  week  of  their 
unambitious  progress.  Their  clothes  had 
lasted  wonderfully  well,  and  they  had  no 
need  to  earn  money  when  there  was  so  little 
chance  to  spend  it ;  indeed,  there  were  sev- 
eral families  who  seemed  to  have  no  more 
visible  means  of  support  than  a  balloon. 
There  were  no  young  people  whom  we  knew, 
though  a  number  used  to  come  to  church  on 
Sunday  from  the  inland  farms,  or  "the 
country,"  as  we  learned  to  say.  There  were 
children  among  the  fishermen's  families  at 


DEEPHAVEN  SOCIETY  69 

the  shore,  but  a  few  years  will  see  Deep- 
haven  possessed  by  two  classes  instead  of 
the  time-honored  three. 

As  for  our  first  Sunday  at  church,  it  must 
be  in  vain  to  ask  you  to  imagine  our  delight 
when  we  heard  the  tuning  of  a  bass-viol  in  the 
gallery  just  before  service.  We  pressed  each 
other's  hands  most  tenderly,  looked  up  at  the 
singers' seats,  and  then  trusted  ourselves  to 
look  at  each  other.  It  was  more  than  we  had 
hoped  for.  There  were  also  a  violin  and  some- 
times a  flute,  and  a  choir  of  men  and  women 
singers,  though  the  congregation  were  ex- 
pected to  join  in  the  psalm-singing.  The  first 
hymn  was 

"  The  Lord  our  God  is  full  of  might, 
The  winds  obey  his  will," 

to  the  tune  of  St.  Ann's.  It  was  all  so  delight- 
fully old-fashioned;  our  pew  was  a  square 
pew,  and  was  by  an  open  window  looking 
seaward.  We  also  had  a  view  of  the  entire 
congregation,  and  as  we  were  somewhat  early, 
we  watched  the  people  come  in,  with  great 
interest.  The  Deephaven  aristocracy  came 
with  stately  step  up  the  aisle ;  this  was  all  the 
chance  there  was  for  displaying  their  unques- 
tioned dignity  in  public. 


70  DEEPHAVEN 

Many  of  the  people  drove  to  church  in 
wagons  that  were  low  and  old  and  creaky, 
with  worn  buffalo-robes  over  the  seat,  and 
some  hay  tucked  underneath  for  the  sleepy, 
undecided  old  horse.  Some  of  the  younger 
farmers  and  their  wives  had  high,  shiny  wag- 
ons, with  tall  horsewhips,  — which  they  "some- 
times brought  into  church,  —  and  they  drove 
up  to  the  steps  with  a  consciousness  of  being 
conspicuous  and  enviable.  They  had  a  bashful 
look  when  they  came  in,  and  for  a  few  min- 
utes after  they  took  their  seats  they  evidently 
felt  that  all  eyes  were  fixed  upon  them  ;  but 
after  a  little  while  they  were  quite  at  their 
ease,  and  looked  critically  at  the  new  arrivals. 

The  old  folks  interested  us  most.  "  Do  you 
notice  how  many  more  old  women  there  are 
than  old  men?"  whispered  Kate  tome.  And 
we  wondered  if  the  husbands  and  brothers 
had  been  drowned,  and  if  it  must  not  be  sad 
to  look  at  the  blue,  sunshiny  sea  beyond  the 
marshes,  if  the  far-away  white  sails  reminded 
them  of  some  ships  that  had  never  sailed 
home  into  Deephaven  harbor,  or  of  fishing- 
boats  that  had  never  come  back  to  land. 

The  girls  and  young  men  adorned  them- 
selves in  what  they  believed  to  be  the  latest 
fashion,  but  the  elderly  women  were  usually 


DEEPHAVEN  SOCIETY  71 

relics  of  old  times  in  manner  and  dress.  They 
wore  to  church  thin,  soft  silk  gowns  that  must 
have  been  brought  from  over  tne  seas  years 
upon  years  before,  and  wide  collars  fastened 
with  mourning-pins  holding  a  lock  of  hair. 
They  had  big  black  bonnets,  some  of  them 
with  stiff  capes,  such  as  Kate  and  I  had  not 
seen  before  since  our  childhood.  They  trea- 
sured large  rusty  lace  veils  of  scraggly  pattern, 
and  wore  sometimes,  on  pleasant  Sundays, 
white  China-crape  shawls  with  attenuated 
fringes ;  and  there  were  two  or  three  of  these 
shawls  in  the  congregation  which  had  been 
dyed  black,  and  gave  an  aspect  of  meekness 
and  general  unworthiness  to  the  aged  wearer, 
they  clung  and  drooped  about  the  figure  in 
such  a  hopeless  way.  We  used  to  notice  often 
the  most  interesting  scarfs,  without  which  no 
Deephaven  woman  considered  herself  in  full 
dress.  Sometimes  there  were  red  India  scarfs 
in  spite  of  its  being  hot  weather;  but  our 
favorite  ones  were  long  strips  of  silk,  em- 
broidered along  the  edges  and  at  the  ends 
with  dismal-colored  floss  in  odd  patterns.  I 
think  there  must  have  been  a  fashion  once, 
in  Deephaven,  of  working  these  scarfs,  and 
I  should  not  be  surprised  to  find  that  it  was 
many  years  before  the  fashion  of  working 


72  DEEPHA YEN 

samplers  came  about.  Our  friends  always 
wore  black  mitts  on  warm  Sundays,  and 
many  of  them  carried  neat  little  tags  of  vari- 
ous designs  on  their  arms,  containing  a  pre- 
cisely folded  pocket-handkerchief,  and  a  fru- 
gal lunch  of  caraway  seeds  or  red  and  white 
peppermints.  I  should  like  you  to  see,  with 
your  own  eyes,  Widow  Ware  and  Miss  Ex- 
per'ence  Hull,  two  old  sisters  whose  personal 
appearance  we  delighted  in,  and  whom  we  saw 
feebly  approaching  down  the  street  this  first 
Sunday  morning  under  the  shadow  of  the  two 
last  members  of  an  otherwise  extinct  race  of 


There  were  two  or  three  old  men  who  sat 
near  us.  They  were  sailors,  —  there  is  some- 
thing unmistakable  about  a  sailor,  —  and 
they  had  a  curiously  ancient,  uncanny  look, 
as  if  they  might  have  belonged  to  the  crew 
of  the  Mayflower,  or  even  have  cruised  about 
with  the  Northmen  in  the  times  of  Harold 
Harfager  and  his  comrades.  They  had  been 
blown  about  by  so  many  winter  winds,  so 
browned  by  summer  suns,  and  wet  by  salt 
spray,  that  their  hands  and  faces  looked  like 
leather,  with  a  few  deep  folds  instead  of 
wrinkles.  They  had  pale  blue  eyes,  very  keen 
and  quick ;  their  hair  looked  like  the  fine  sea* 


DEEPHAVEN  SOCIETY  73 

weed  which  clings  to  the  kelp-roots  and  mus- 
sel-shells in  little  locks.  These  friends  of  ours 
sat  solemnly  at  the  heads  of  their  pews  and 
looked  unflinchingly  at  the  minister,  when 
they  were  not  dozing,  and  they  sang  with 
voices  like  the  howl  of  the  wind,  with  an 
occasional  deep  note  or  two. 

Have  you  never  seen  faces  that  seemed 
old-fashioned  ?  Many  of  the  people  in  Deep- 
haven  church  looked  as  if  they  must  be — if 
not  supernaturally  old — exact  copies  of  their 
remote  ancestors.  I  wonder  if  it  is  not  pos- 
sible that  the  features  and  expression  may 
be  almost  perfectly  reproduced.  These  faces 
were  not  modern  American  faces,  but  be- 
longed rather  to  the  days  of  the  early  settle- 
ment of  the  country,  the  old  colonial  times. 
We  often  heard  quaint  words  and  expressions 
which  we  never  had  known  anywhere  else  but 
in  old  books.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  sea- 
lingo  in  use ;  indeed,  we  learned  a  great  deal 
ourselves,  unconsciously,  and  used  it  after- 
ward to  the  great  amusement  of  our  friends ; 
but  there  were  also  many  peculiar  provin- 
cialisms, and  among  the  people  who  lived 
on  the  lonely  farms  inland  we  often  noticed 
words  we  had  seen  in  Chaucer,  and  studied 
out  at  school  in  our  English  literature  class. 


74  DEEPHAVEN 

Everything  in  Deephaven  was  more  or  less 
influenced  by  the  sea ;  the  minister  spoke 
oftenest  of  Peter  and  his  fishermen  compan- 
ions, and  prayed  most  earnestly  every  Sunday 
morning  for  those  who  go  down  to  the  sea  in 
ships.  He  made  frequent  allusions  and  drew 
numberless  illustrations  of  a  similar  kind  for 
his  sermons,  and  indeed  I  am  in  doubt  whe- 
ther, if  the  Bible  had  been  written  wholly  in 
inland  countries,  it  would  have  been  much 
valued  in  Deephaven. 

The  singing  was  very  droll,  for  there  was 
a  majority  of  old  voices,  which  had  seen 
their  best  days  long  before,  and  the  bass-viol 
was  excessively  noticeable,  and  apt  to  be  a 
little  ahead  of  the  time  the  singers  kept, 
while  the  violin  lingered  after.  Somewhere 
on  the  other  side  of  the  church  we  heard  an 
acute  voice  which  rose  high  above  all  the  rest 
of  the  congregation,  sharp  as  a  needle,  and 
slightly  cracked,  with  a  limitless  supply  of 
breath.  It  rose  and  fell  gallantly,  and  clung 
long  to  the  high  notes  of  Dundee.  It  was  like 
the  wail  of  the  banshee,  which  sounds  clear 
to  the  fated  hearer  above  all  other  noises. 
We  afterward  became  acquainted  with  the 
owner  of  this  voice,  and  were  surprised  to 
find  her  a  meek  widow,  who  was  like  a  thin 


DEEPHAVEN  SOCIETY  75 

black  beetle  in  her  pathetic  cypress  veil  and 
big  black  bonnet.  She  looked  as  if  she  had 
forgotten  who  she  was,  and  spoke  with  an 
apologetic  whine ;  but  we  heard  she  had  a 
temper  as  high  as  her  voice,  and  as  much  to 
be  dreaded  as  the  .equinoctial  gale. 

Near  the  church  was  the  parsonage,  where 
Mr.  Lorimer  lived,  and  the  old  Lorimer  house 
not  far  beyond  was  occupied  by  Miss  Re- 
becca Lorimer.  Some  stranger  might  ask  the 
question  why  the  minister  and  his  sister  did 
not  live  together,  but  you  would  have  under- 
stood it  at  once  after  you  had  lived  for  a 
little  while  in  town.  They  were  very  fond  of 
each  other,  and  the  minister  dined  with  Miss 
Rebecca  on  Sundays,  and  she  passed  the  day 
with  him  on  Wednesdays,  and  they  ruled 
their  separate  households  with  decision  and 
dignity.  I  think  Mr.  Lorimer's  house  showed 
no  signs  of  being  without  a  mistress,  any 
more  than  his  sister's  betrayed  the  want  of 
a  master's  care  and  authority. 

The  Carews  were  very  kind  friends  of  ours, 
and  had  been  Miss  Brandon's  best  friends. 
We  heard  that  there  had  always  been  a  cool- 
ness between  Miss  Brandon  and  Miss  Lori- 
mer, and  that,  though  they  exchanged  visits 
and  were  always  polite,  there  was  a  chill  in 


76  DEEP HA  YEN 

the  politeness,  and  one  would  never  have  sus- 
pected them  of  admiring  each  other  at  all. 
We  had  the  whole  history  of  the  trouble, 
which  dated  back  scores  of  years,  from  Miss 
Honora  Carew,  but  we  always  took  pains  to 
appear  ignorant  of  the  feud,  and  I  think  Miss 
Lorimer  was  satisfied  that  it  was  best  not  to 
refer  to  it,  and  to  let  bygones  be  bygones. 
It  would  not  have  been  true  Deephaven 
courtesy  to  prejudice  Kate  against  her  grand- 
aunt,  and  Miss  Rebecca  cherished  her  dislike 
in  silence,  which  gave  us  a  most  grand  re- 
spect for  her,  since  we  knew  she  thought  her- 
self in  the  right ;  though  I  think  it  never  had 
come  to  an  open  quarrel  between  these  ma- 
jestic aristocrats. 

Miss  Honora  Carew  and  Mr.  Dick  and 
their  elder  sister,  Mrs.  Dent,  had  a  charm- 
ingly sedate  and  quiet  home  in  the  old  Ca- 
rew house.  Mrs.  Dent  was  ill  a  great  deal 
while  we  were  there,  but  she  must  have  been 
a  very  brilliant  woman,  and  was  not  at  all 
dull  when  we  knew  her.  She  had  outlived 
her  husband  and  her  children,  and  she  had, 
several  years  before  our  summer  there,  given 
up  her  own  home,  which  was  in  the  city,  and 
had  come  back  to  Deephaven.  Miss  Honora 
—  dear  Miss  Honora !  —  had  been  one  of  the 


DEEPHAVEN  SOCIETY  77 

brightest,  happiest  girls,  and  had  lost  none  of 
her  brightness  and  happiness  by  growing  old. 
She  had  lost  none  of  her  fondness  for  society, 
though  she  was  so  contented  in  quiet  Deep- 
haven,  and  I  think  she  enjoyed  Kate's  and 
my  stories  of  our  pleasures  as  much  as  we  did 
hers  of  old  times.  We  used  to  go  to  see  her 
almost  every  day.  "  Mr.  Dick,"  as  they  called 
their  brother,  had  once  been  a  merchant  in 
the  East  Indies,  and  there  were  quantities  of 
curiosities  and  most  beautiful  china  which  he 
had  brought  and  sent  home,  which  gave  the 
house  a  character  of  its  own.  He  had  been 
very  rich  and  had  lost  some  of  his  money, 
and  then  he  came  home  and  was  still  consid- 
ered to  possess  princely  wealth  by  his  neigh- 
bors. He  had  a  great  fondness  for  reading 
and  study,  which  had  not  been  lost  sight  of 
during  his  business  life,  and  he  spent  most 
of  his  time  in  his  library.  He  and  Mr.  Lori- 
mer  had  their  differences  of  opinion  about 
certain  points  of  theology,  and  this  made 
them  much  fonder  of  each  other's  society, 
and  gave  them  a  great  deal  of  pleasure ;  for 
after  every  series  of  arguments,  each  was  sure 
that  he  had  vanquished  the  other,  or  there 
were  alternate  victories  and  defeats  which 
made  life  vastly  interesting  and  important. 


78  DEEP HAVEN 

Miss  Carew  and  Mrs.  Dent  had  a  great 
treasury  of  old  brocades  and  laces  and  orna- 
ments, which  they  showed  us  one  day,  and 
told  us  stories  of  the  wearers,  or,  if  they  were 
their  own,  there  were  always  some  reminis- 
cences which  they  liked  to  talk  over  with 
each  other  and  with  us.  I  never  shall  forget 
the  first  evening  we  took  tea  with  them ;  it 
impressed  us  very  much,  and  yet  nothing 
wonderful  happened.  Tea  was  handed  round 
by  an  old-fashioned  maid,  and  afterward  we 
sat  talking  in  the  twilight,  looking  out  at  the 
garden.  It  was  such  a  delight  to  have  tea 
served  in  this  way.  I  wonder  that  the  fash- 
ion has  been  almost  forgotten.  Kate  and  I 
took  much  pleasure  in  choosing  our  tea-poys ; 
hers  had  a  mandarin  parading  on  the  top, 
and  mine  a  flight  of  birds  and  a  pagoda ;  and 
we  often  used  them  afterward,  for  Miss  Ho- 
nora  asked  us  to  come  to  tea  whenever  we 
liked.  "  A  stupid,  common  country  town  " 
some  one  dared  to  call  Deephaven  in  a  letter 
once,  and  how  bitterly  we  resented  it!  That 
was  a  house  where  one  might  find  the  best 
society,  and  the  most  charming  manners  and 
good-breeding,  and  if  I  were  asked  to  tell 
you  what  I  mean  by  the  word  "lady,"  I 


DEEPHAVEN  SOCIETY  79 

should  ask  you  to  go,  if  it  were  possible,  to 
call  upon  Miss  Honora  Carew. 

After  a  while  the  elder  sister  said,  "  My 
dears,  we  always  have  prayers  at  nine,  for 
I  have  to  go  upstairs  early  nowadays."  And 
then  the  servants  came  in,  and  she  read  sol- 
emnly the  King  of  glory  Psalm,  which  I  have 
always  liked  best,  and  then  Mr.  Dick  read 
the  church  prayers,  the  form  of  prayer  to  be 
used  in  families.  We  stayed  later  to  talk 
with  Miss  Honora  after  we  had  said  good- 
night to  Mrs.  Dent.  And  we  told  each  other, 
as  we  went  home  in  the  moonlight  down  the 
quiet  street,  how  much  we  had  enjoyed  the 
evening,  for  somehow  the  house  and  the  peo- 
ple had  nothing  to  do  with  the  present,  or 
the  hurry  of  modern  life.  I  have  never  heard 
that  psalm  since  without  its  bringing  back 
that  summer  night  in  Deephaven,  the  beauti- 
ful quaint  old  room,  and  Kate  and  I  feeling 
so  young  and  worldly,  by  contrast,  the  flick- 
ering, shaded  light  of  the  candles,  the  old 
book,  and  the  voices  that  said  Amen. 

There  were  several  other  fine  old  houses  in 
Deephaven  beside  this  and  the  Brandon  house, 
though  that  was  rather  the  most  imposing. 
There  were  two  or  three  which  had  not  been 


80  DEEP HAVEN 

kept  in  repair,  and  were  deserted,  and  of 
course  they  were  said  to  be  haunted,  and  we 
were  told  of  their  ghosts,  and  why  they 
walked,  and  when.  From  some  of  the  local 
superstitions  Kate  and  I  have  vainly  endeav- 
ored ever  since  to  shake  ourselves  free.  There 
was  a  most  heathenish  fear  of  doing  certain 
things  on  Friday,  and  there  were  countless 
signs  in  which  we  still  have  confidence.  When 
the  moon  is  very  bright  and  other  people 
grow  sentimental,  we  only  remember  that  it 
is  a  fine  night  to  catch  hake. 


THE  CAPTAINS 

I  SHOULD  consider  my  account  of  Deep- 
haven  society  incomplete  if  I  did  not  tell  you 
something  of  the  ancient  mariners,  who  may 
be  found  every  pleasant  morning  sunning 
themselves  like  turtles  on  one  of  the  wharves. 
Sometimes  there  was  a  considerable  group  of 
them,  but  the  less  constant  members  of  the 
club  were  older  than  the  rest,  and  the  epi- 
demics of  rheumatism  in  town  were  sadly 
frequent.  We  found  that  it  was  etiquette  to 
call  them  each  captain,  but  I  think  some  of 
the  Deephaven  men  took  the  title  by  brevet 
upon  arriving  at  a  proper  age. 

They  sat  close  together  because  so  many 
of  them  were  deaf,  and  when  we  were  lucky 
enough  to  overhear  the  conversation,  it  seemed 
to  concern  their  adventures  at  sea,  or  the 
freight  carried  out  by  the  Sea  Duck,  the 
Ocean  Kover,  or  some  other  Deephaven  ship, 
—  the  particulars  of  the  voyage  and  its  dis- 
asters and  successes  being  as  familiar  as  the 
wanderings  of  the  children  of  Israel  to  an  old 
parson.  There  were  sometimes  violent  alter- 
cations when  the  captains  differed  as  to  the 


82  DEEP HAVEN 

tonnage  of  some  craft  that  had  been  a  prey 
to  the  winds  and  waves,  dry-rot,  or  barnacles 
fifty  years  before.  The  old  fellows  puffed 
away  at  little  black  pipes  with  short  stems, 
and  otherwise  consumed  tobacco  in  fabulous 
quantities.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  they 
gave  an  immense  deal  of  attention  to  the 
weather.  We  used  to  wish  we  could  join  this 
agreeable  company,  but  we  found  that  the  ap- 
pearance of  an  outsider  caused  a  disapprov- 
ing silence,  and  that  the  meeting  was  evi- 
dently not  to  be  interfered  with.  Once  we 
were  impertinent  enough  to  hide  ourselves 
for  a  while  just  round  the  corner  of  the  ware- 
house, but  we  were  afraid  or  ashamed  to  try 
it  again,  though  the  conversation  was  incon- 
ceivably edifying.  Captain  Isaac  Horn,  the 
eldest  and  wisest  of  all,  was  discoursing  upon 
some  cloth  he  had  purchased  once  in  Bristol, 
which  the  shop-keeper  delayed  sending  until 
just  as  they  were  ready  to  weigh  anchor. 

"  I  happened  to  take  a  look  at  that  cloth," 
said  the  captain,  in  a  loud  droning  voice, 
"  and  as  quick  as  I  got  sight  of  it,  I  spoke 
onpleasant  of  that  swindling  English  fellow, 
and  the  crew,  they  stood  back.  I  was  dread- 
ful high-tempered  in  them  days,  mind  ye; 
and  I  had  the  gig  manned.  We  was  out  in 


THE   CAPTAINS  83 

the  stream,  just  ready  to  sail.  'T  was  no  use 
waiting  any  longer  for  the  wind  to  change, 
and  we  was  going  north  -  about.  I  went 
ashore,  and  when  I  walks  into  his  shop  ye 
never  see  a  creatur'  so  wilted.  Ye  see  the 
miser'ble  sculpin  thought  I  'd  never  stop  to 
open  the  goods,  an'  it  was  a  chance  I  did, 
mind  ye !  4  Lor,'  says  he,  grinning  and  turn- 
ing the  color  of  a  biled  lobster,  *  I  s'posed  ye 
were  a-standing  out  to  sea  by  this  time.' 
*  No,'  says  I,  *  and  I  've  got  my  men  out  here 
on  the  quay  a-landing  that  cloth  o'  yourn, 
and  if  you  don't  send  just  what  I  bought  and 
paid  for  down  there  to  go  back  in  the  gig 
within  fifteen  minutes,  I  '11  take  ye  by  the 
collar  and  drop  ye  into  the  dock.'  I  was 
twice  the  size  of  him,  mind  ye,  and  master 
strong.  'Don't  ye  like  it?'  says  he,  edging 
round;  '  I '11  change  it  for  ye,  then.'  Ter'- 
ble  perlite  he  was.  '  Like  it  ?  '  says  I,  '  it 
looks  as  if  it  were  built  of  dog's  hair  and 
divil's  wool,  kicked  together  by  spiders  ;  and 
it 's  coarser  than  Irish  frieze ;  three  threads 
to  an  armful?  says  I." 

This  was  evidently  one  of  the  captain's 
favorite  stories,  for  we  heard  an  approving 
grumble  from  the  audience. 

In  the  course  of  a  walk  inland  we  made  a 


84  DEEP  HAVEN 

new  acquaintance,  Captain  Lant,  whom  we 
had  noticed  at  church,  and  who  sometimes 
joined  the  company  on  the  wharf.  We  had 
been  walking  through  the  woods,  and  com- 
ing out  to  his  fields  we  went  on  to  the  house 
for  some  water.  There  was  no  one  at  home 
but  the  captain,  who  told  us  cheerfully  that 
he  should  be  pleased  to  serve  us,  though  his 
women-folks  had  gone  off  to  a  funeral,  the 
other  side  of  the  P'int.  He  brought  out  a 
pitcherful  of  milk,  and  after  we  had  drunk 
some,  we  all  sat  down  together  in  the  shade. 
The  captain  brought  an  old  flag-bottomed 
chair  from  the  woodhouse,  and  sat  down 
facing  Kate  and  me,  with  an  air  of  certainty 
that  he  was  going  to  hear  something  new  and 
make  some  desirable  new  acquaintances,  and 
also  that  he  could  tell  something  it  would  be 
worth  our  while  to  hear.  He  looked  more 
and  more  like  a  well-to-do  old  English  spar- 
row, and  chippered  faster  and  faster. 

"  Queer  ye  should  know  I  'm  a  sailor  so 
quick ;  why,  I  've  been  a-farming  it  this 
twenty  years ;  have  to  go  down  to  the  shore 
and  take  a  day's  fishing  every  hand's  turn, 
though,  to  keep  the  old  hulk  clear  of  barna- 
cles. There !  I  do  wish  I  lived  nigher  the 
shore,  where  I  could  see  the  folks  I  know, 


THE    CAPTAINS  85 

and  talk  about  what 's  been  a-goin'  on.  You 
don't  know  anything  about  it,  you  don't ;  but 
it 's  tryin'  to  a  man  to  be  called  '  old  Cap'n 
Lant,'  and,  so  to  speak,  be  forgot  when 
there 's  anything  stirring,  and  be  called 
gran'ther  by  clumsy  creatur's  goin'  on  fifty 
and  sixty,  who  can't  do  no  more  work  to- 
day than  I  can ;  an'  then  the  women-folks 
keeps  a-tellin'  me  to  be  keerful  and  not  fall, 
and  as  how  I  'm  too  old  to  go  out  fishing ; 
and  when  they  want  to  be  soft-spoken, 
they  say  as  how  they  don't  see  as  I  fail, 
and  how  wonderful  I  keep  my  hearin'.  I 
never  did  want  to  farm  it,  but  4  she  '  al- 
ways took  it  to  heart  when  I  was  off  on  a 
v'y'ge,  and  this  farm  and  some  consider'ble 
means  beside  come  to  her  from  her  brother, 
and  they  all  sot  to  and  give  me  no  peace  of 
mind  till  I  sold  out  my  share  of  the  Ann 
Eliza  and  come  ashore  for  good.  I  did  keep 
an  eighth  of  the  Pactolus,  and  I  was  ship's 
husband  for  a  long  spell,  but  she  never  was 
heard  from  on  her  last  voyage  to  Singapore. 
I  was  the  lonesomest  man,  when  I  first  come 
ashore,  that  ever  you  see.  Well,  you  are 
master  hands  to  walk,  if  you  come  way  up 
from  the  Brandon  house.  I  wish  the  women 
was  at  home.  Know  Miss  Brandon  ?  Why, 


86  DEEPHA YEN 

yes ;  and  I  remember  all  her  brothers  and 
sisters,  and  her  father  and  mother.  I  can  see 
'em  now  coming  into  meeting,  proud  as  Lu- 
cifer and  straight  as  a  mast,  every  one  of 
'em.  Miss  Katharine,  she  always  had  her 
butter  from  this  very  farm.  Some  of  the 
folks  used  to  go  down  every  Saturday,  and 
my  wife,  she 's  been  in  the  house  a  hundred 
times,  I  s'pose.  So  you  are  Hathaway  Bran- 
don's grand-daughter  ?  "  (to  Kate)  ;  "  why, 
he  and  I  have  been  out  fishing  together 
many 's  the  time,  —  he  and  Chantrey,  his 
next  younger  brother.  Henry,  he  was  a  dis- 
app'intment ;  he  went  to  furrin  parts  and 
turned  out  a  Catholic  priest,  I  s'pose  you  've 
heard  ?  I  never  was  so  set  ag'in  Mr.  Henry 
as  some  folks  was.  He  was  the  pleasantest 
spoken  of  the  whole  on  'em.  You  do  look 
like  the  Brandons  ;  you  really  favor  'em  con- 
sider'ble.  Well,  I  'm  pleased  to  see  ye,  I  'm 
sure." 

We  asked  him  many  questions  about  the 
old  people,  and  found  he  knew  all  the  family 
histories  and  told  them  with  great  satisfac- 
tion. We  found  he  had  his  pet  stories,  and 
it  must  have  been  gratifying  to  have  an  en- 
tirely new  and  fresh  audience.  He  was  adroit 
in  leading  the  conversation  around  to  a  point 


THE    CAPTAINS  87 

where  the  stories  would  come  in  appropri- 
ately, and  we  helped  him  as  much  as  pos- 
sible. In  a  small  neighborhood  all  the  people 
know  each  other's  stories  and  experiences  by 
heart,  and  I  have  no  doubt  the  old  captain 
had  been  snubbed  many  times  on  beginning 
a  favorite  anecdote.  There  was  a  story  which 
he  told  us  that  first  day,  which  he  assured 
us  was  strictly  true,  and  it  is  certainly  a  re- 
markable instance  of  the  influence  of  one 
mind  upon  another  at  a  distance.  It  seems 
to  me  worth  preserving,  at  any  rate  ;  and  as 
we  heard  it  from  the  old  man,  with  his  sol- 
emn voice  and  serious  expression  and  quaint 
gestures,  it  was  singularly  impressive. 

"When  I  was  a  youngster,"  said  Captain 
Lant,  "  I  was  an  orphan,  and  I  was  bound 
out  to  old  Mr.  Peletiah  Daw's  folks,  over  on 
the  Ridge  Road.  It  was  in  the  time  of  the 
last  war,  and  he  had  a  nephew,  Ben  Dighton, 
a  dreadful  high-strung,  wild  fellow,  who  had 
gone  off  on  a  privateer.  The  old  man,  he  set 
everything  by  Ben  ;  he  would  disoblige  his 
own  boys  any  day  to  please  him.  This  was  in 
his  latter  days,  and  he  used  to  have  spells  of 
wandering  and  being  out  of  his  head  ;  and  he 
used  to  call  for  Ben  and  talk  sort  of  foolish 
about  him,  till  they  would  tell  him  to  stop. 


88  DEEP HA VEN 

Ben  never  did  a  stroke  of  work  for  him, 
either,  but  he  was  a  handsome  fellow,  and  had 
a  way  with  him  when  he  was  good-natured. 
One  night  old  Peletiah  had  been  very  bad  all 
day  and  was  getting  quieted  down,  and  it  was 
after  supper ;  we  sat  round  in  the  kitchen, 
and  he  lay  in  the  bedroom  opening  out. 
There  were  some  pitch-knots  blazing,  and  the 
light  shone  in  on  the  bed,  and  all  of  a  sudden 
something  made  me  look  up  and  look  in  ;  and 
there  was  the  old  man  setting  up  straight, 
with  his  eyes  shining  at  me  like  a  cat's. 
'  Stop  'em  ! '  says  he  ;  '  stop  'em  I '  and  his 
two  sons  run  in  then  to  catch  hold  of  him, 
for  they  thought  he  was  beginning  with  one 
of  his  wild  spells ;  but  he  fell  back  on  the 
bed  and  began  to  cry  like  a  baby.  '  O,  dear 
me,'  says  he,  *  they  've  hung  him,  —  hung  him 
right  up  to  the  yard-arm  !  O,  they  ought  n't 
to  have  done  it ;  cut  him  down  quick !  he 
did  n't  think ;  he  means  well,  Ben  does ;  he 
was  hasty.  O  my  God,  I  can't  bear  to  see 
him  swing  round  by  the  neck  !  It 's  poor  Ben 
hung  up  to  the  yard-arm.  Let  me  alone,  I 
say ! '  Andrew  and  Moses,  they  were  holding 
him  with  all  their  might,  and  they  were  both 
hearty  men,  but  he  'most  got  away  from  them 
once  or  twice,  and  he  screeched  and  howled 


THE    CAPTAINS  89 

like  a  mad  creatur',  and  then  he  would  cry 
again  like  a  child.  He  was  worn  out  after  a 
while  and  lay  back  quiet,  and  said  over  and 
over,  *  Poor  Ben ! '  and  '  hung  at  the  yard- 
arm  ' ;  and  he  told  the  neighbors  next  day, 
but  nobody  noticed  him  much,  and  he  seemed 
to  forget  it  as  his  mind  come  back.  A 11  that 
summer  he  was  miser'ble,  and  towards  cold 
weather  he  failed  right  along,  though  he  had 
been  a  master  strong  man  in  his  day,  and  his 
timbers  held  together  well.  Along  late  in  the 
fall  he  had  taken  to  his  bed,  and  one  day 
there  came  to  the  house  a  fellow  named  Sim 
Decker,  a  reckless  fellow  he  was  too,  who  had 
gone  out  in  the  same  ship  with  Ben.  He 
pulled  a  long  face  when  he  came  in,  and  said 
he  had  brought  bad  news.  They  had  been 
taken  prisoner  and  carried  into  port  and  put 
in  jail,  and  Ben  Dighton  had  got  a  fever  there 
and  died. 

"  *  You  lie ! '  says  the  old  man  from  the 
bedroom,  speaking  as  loud  and  f 'erce  as  ever 
you  heard.  '  They  hung  him  to  the  yard-arm  ! ' 

"  *  Don't  mind  him,'  says  Andrew  ;  *  he 's 
wandering-like,  and  he  had  a  bad  dream 
along  back  in  the  spring;  I  s' posed  he  'd  for- 
gotten it.'  But  the  Decker  fellow  he  turned 
pale,  and  kept  talking  crooked  while  he  lis- 


90  DEEPHAVEN 

tened  to  old  Peletiah  a-scolding  to  himself. 
He  answered  the  questions  the  women-folks 
asked  him,  —  they  took  on  a  good  deal,  — 
but  pretty  soon  he  got  up  and  winked  to  me 
and  Andrew,  and  we  went  out  in  the  yard. 
He  began  to  swear,  and  then  says  he, '  When 
did  the  old  man  have  his  dream  ? '  Andrew 
could  n't  remember,  but  I  knew  it  was  the 
night  before  he  sold  the  gray  colt,  and  that 
was  the  24th  of  April. 

" '  Well,'  says  Sim  Decker, '  on  the  twenty- 
third  day  of  April  Ben  Dighton  was  hung  to 
the  yard-arm,  and  I  see  'em  do  it,  Lord  help 
him !  I  did  n't  mean  to  tell  the  women,  and 
I  s'posed  you  'd  never  know,  for  I  'm  all  the 
one  of  the  ship's  company  you  're  ever  likely 
to  see.  We  were  taken  prisoner,  and  Ben 
was  mad  as  fire,  and  they  were  scared  of  him 
and  chained  him  to  the  deck ;  and  while  he 
was  sulking  there,  a  little  parrot  of  a  mid- 
shipman come  up  and  grinned  at  him,  and 
snapped  his  fingers  in  his  face ;  and  Ben 
lifted  his  hands  with  the  heavy  irons  and 
sprung  at  him  like  a  tiger,  and  the  boy 
dropped  dead  as  a  stone ;  and  they  put  the 
bight  of  a  rope  round  Ben's  neck  and  slung 
him  right  up  to  the  yard-arm,  and  there  he 
swung  back  and  forth  until  as  soon  as  we 


THE    CAPTAINS  91 

dared  one  of  us  dim'  up  and  cut  the  rope 
and  let  him  go  over  the  ship's  side  ;  and  they 
put  us  in  irons  for  that,  curse  'em  !  How  did 
that  old  man  in  there  know,  and  he  bedrid- 
den here,  nigh  upon  three  thousand  miles 
off  ? '  says  he.  But  I  guess  there  was  n't  any 
of  us  could  tell  him,"  said  Captain  Lant  in 
conclusion.  "  It 's  something  I  never  could 
account  for,  but  it 's  true  as  truth.  I  've 
known  more  such  cases ;  some  folks  laughs  at 
me  for  believing  'em,  —  '  the  cap'n's  yarns,' 
they  calls  'em,  —  but  if  you  '11  notice,  every- 
body 's  got  some  yarn  of  that  kind  they  do 
believe,  if  they  won't  believe  yours.  And 
there 's  a  good  deal  happens  in  the  world 
that 's  myster'ous.  Now  there  was  Widder 
Oliver  Pinkham,  over  to  the  P'int,  told  me 
with  her  own  lips  that  she  — "  But  just 
here  we  saw  the  captain's  expression  alter 
suddenly,  and  looked  around  to  see  a  wagon 
coming  up  the  lane.  We  immediately  said 
we  must  go  home,  for  it  was  growing  late, 
but  asked  permission  to  come  again  and 
hear  the  Widow  Oliver  Pinkham  story.  We 
stopped,  however,  to  see  "  the  women-folks," 
and  afterward  became  so  intimate  with  them 
that  we  were  invited  to  spend  the  afternoon 
and  take  tea,  which  invitation  we  accepted 


92  DEEPHAVEN 

with  great  pride.  We  went  out  fishing,  also, 
with  the  captain  and  "  Danny,"  of  whom  I 
will  tell  you  presently.  I  often  think  of  Cap- 
tain Lant  in  the  winter,  for  he  told  Kate 
once  that  he  "  felt  master  old  in  winter  to 
what  he  did  in  summer."  He  likes  reading, 
fortunately,  and  we  had  a  letter  from  him, 
not  long  ago,  acknowledging  the  receipt  of 
some  books  of  travel  by  land  and  water 
which  we  had  luckily  thought  to  send  him. 
He  gave  the  latitude  and  longitude  of  Deep- 
haven  at  the  beginning  of  his  letter,  and 
signed  himself,  "  Respectfully  yours  with 
esteem,  Jacob  Lant  (condemned  as  unsea- 
worthy)." 


DANNY 

DEEPHAVEN  seemed  more  like  one  of  the 
lazy  little  English  seaside  towns  than  any 
other.  It  was  not  in  the  least  American. 
There  was  no  excitement  about  anything; 
there  were  no  manufactories ;  nobody  seemed 
in  the  least  hurry.  The  only  foreigners  were 
a  few  stranded  sailors.  I  do  not  know  when 
a  house  or  a  new  building  of  any  kind  had 
been  built ;  the  men  were  farmers,  or  went 
outward  in  boats,  or  inward  in  fish-wagons, 
or  sometimes  mackerel  and  halibut  fishing  in 
schooners  for  the  city  markets.  Sometimes  a 
schooner  came  to  one  of  the  wharves  to  load 
with  hay  or  firewood ;  but  Deephaven  used 
to  be  a  town  of  note,  rich  and  busy,  as  its 
forsaken  warehouses  show. 

"We  knew  almost  all  the  fisher-people  at 
the  shore,  even  old  Dinnett,  who  lived  an 
apparently  desolate  life  by  himself  in  a  hut 
and  was  reputed  to  have  been  a  bloodthirsty 
pirate  in  his  youth.  He  was  consequently 
feared  by  all  the  children,  and  for  misde- 
meanors in  his  latter  days  avoided  generally. 


94  DEEPHAVEN 

Kate  talked  with  him  a  while  one  day  on  the 
shore,  and  made  him  come  up  with  her  for 
a  bandage  for  his  hand  which  she  saw  he 
had  hurt  badly ;  and  the  next  morning  he 
brought  us  a  "  new  "  lobster  apiece,  —  fisher- 
men mean  that  a  thing  is  only  not  salted 
when  they  say  it  is  "  fresh."  We  happened 
to  be  in  the  hall,  and  received  him  ourselves, 
and  gave  him  a  great  piece  of  tobacco  and 
(unintentionally)  the  means  of  drinking  our 
health.  "  Bless  your  pretty  hearts !  "  said 
he ;  "  may  ye  be  happy,  and  live  long,  and 
get  good  husbands,  and  if  they  ain't  good  to 
you  may  they  die  from  you  !  " 

None  of  our  friends  were  more  interesting 
than  the  fishermen.  The  fish-houses,  which 
might  be  called  the  business  centre  of  the 
town,  were  at  a  little  distance  from  the  old 
warehouses,  farther  down  the  harbor  shore, 
and  were  ready  to  fall  down  in  despair. 
There  were  some  fishermen  who  lived  near 
by,  but  most  of  them  were  also  farmers  in  a 
small  way,  and  lived  in  the  village  or  far- 
ther inland.  From  our  eastern  windows  we 
could  see  the  moorings,  and  we  always  liked 
to  watch  the  boats  go  out  or  come  straying 
in,  one  after  the  other,  tipping  and  skim- 
ming under  the  square  little  sails;  and  we 


DANNY  95 

often  went  down  to  the  fish-houses  to  see 
what  kind  of  a  catch  there  had  been. 

I  should  have  imagined  that  the  sea  would 
become  very  commonplace  to  men  whose 
business  was  carried  on  in  boats,  and  who 
had  spent  night  after  night  and  day  after 
day  from  their  boyhood  on  the  water;  but 
that  is  a  mistake.  They  have  an  awe  of  the 
sea  and  of  its  mysteries,  and  of  what  it  hides 
away  from  us.  They  are  childish  in  their 
wonder  at  any  strange  creature  which  they 
find.  If  they  have  not  seen  the  sea-serpent, 
they  believe,  I  am  sure,  that  other  people 
have,  and  when  a  great  shark  or  black-fish 
or  sword-fish  was  taken  and  brought  in  shore, 
everybody  went  to  see  it,  and  we  talked 
about  it,  and  how  brave  its  conqueror  was, 
and  what  a  fight  there  had  been,  for  a  long 
time  afterward. 

I  said  that  we  liked  to  see  the  boats  go 
out,  but  I  must  not  give  you  the  impression 
that  we  saw  them  often,  for  they  weighed 
anchor  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning.  I 
remember  once  there  was  a  light  fog  over 
the  sea,  lifting  fast,  as  the  sun  was  coming 
up,  and  the  brownish  sails  disappeared  in 
the  mist,  while  voices  could  still  be  heard 
for  some  minutes  after  the  men  were  hidden 


96  DEEPHAVEN 

from  sight.  This  gave  one  a  curious  feeling, 
but  afterward,  when  the  sun  had  risen,  every- 
thing looked  much  the  same  as  usual ;  the  fog 
had  gone,  and  the  dories  and  even  the  larger 
boats  were  distant  specks  on  the  sparkling 
sea. 

One  afternoon  we  made  a  new  acquaint- 
ance in  this  wise.  We  went  down  to  the 
shore  to  see  if  we  could  hire  a  conveyance 
to  the  lighthouse  the  next  morning.  We  often 
went  out  early  in  one  of  the  fishing-boats, 
and  after  we  had  stayed  as  long  as  we  pleased, 
Mr.  Kew  would  bring  us  home.  It  was 
quiet  enough  that  day,  for  not  a  single  boat 
had  come  in,  and  there  were  no  men  to  be 
seen  alongshore.  There  was  a  solemn  com- 
pany of  lobster-coops  or  cages  which  had 
been  brought  in  to  be  mended.  They  always 
amused  Kate.  She  said  they  seemed  to  her 
like  droll  old  women  telling  each  other  se- 
crets. These  were  scattered  about  in  differ- 
ent attitudes,  and  looked  more  confidential 
than  usual. 

Just  as  we  were  going  away  we  happened 
to  see  a  man  at  work  in  one  of  the  sheds. 
He  was  the  fisherman  whom  we  knew  least 
of  all;  an  odd-looking,  silent  sort  of  man, 
more  sunburnt  and  weather-beaten  than  any 


DANNY  97 

of  the  others.  We  had  learned  to  know  him 
by  the  bright  red  flannel  shirt  he  always 
wore,  and  besides,  he  was  lame;  some  one 
told  us  he  had  had  a  bad  fall  once,  on  board 
ship.  Kate  and  I  had  always  wished  we 
could  find  a  chance  to  talk  with  him.  He 
looked  up  at  us  pleasantly,  and  when  we 
nodded  and  smiled,  he  said  "  Good-day  "  in 
a  gruff,  hearty  voice,  and  went  on  with  his 
work,  cleaning  mackerel. 

"  Do  you  mind  our  watching  you  ?  "  asked 
Kate. 

"No,  ma'am!"  said  the  fisherman  em- 
phatically. So  there  we  stood. 

Those  fish-houses  were  curious  places,  so 
different  from  any  other  kind  of  workshop. 
In  this  there  was  a  seine,  or  part  of  one,  fes- 
tooned among  the  cross-beams  overhead,  and 
there  were  snarled  fishing-lines,  and  barrows 
to  carry  fish  in,  like  wheelbarrows  without 
wheels;  there  were  the  queer  round  lobster- 
nets,  and  "  kits "  of  salt  mackerel,  tubs  of 
bait,  and  piles  of  clams;  and  some  queer 
bones,  and  parts  of  remarkable  fish,  and 
lobster-claws  of  surprising  size  fastened  on 
the  walls  for  ornament.  There  was  a  pile  of 
rubbish  down  at  the  end;  I  dare  say  it  was 
all  useful,  however,  —  there  is  such  mystery 
about  the  business. 


98  DEEPHAVEN 

Kate  and  I  were  never  tired  of  hearing 
of  the  fish  that  come  at  different  times  of 
the  year,  and  go  away  again,  like  the  birds ; 
or  of  the  actions  of  the  dog-fish,  which  the 
'longshore-men  hate  so  bitterly;  and  then 
there  are  such  curious  legends  and  tradi- 
tions, of  which  almost  all  fishermen  have  a 
store. 

"I  think  mackerel  are  the  prettiest  fish 
that  swim,"  said  I  presently. 

"So  do  I,  Miss,"  said  the  man,  "not  to 
say  but  I  've  seen  more  fancy-looking  fish 
down  in  southern  waters,  bright  as  any  flower 
you  ever  see ;  but  a  mackerel,"  holding  up 
one  admiringly,  "  why,  they  're  so  clean-built 
and  trig-looking  !  Put  a  cod  alongside,  and 
he  looks  as  lumbering  as  an  old-fashioned 
Dutch  brig  aside  a  yacht. 

"  Those  are  good-looking  fish,  but  they 
an't  made  much  account  of,"  continued  our 
friend,  as  he  pushed  aside  the  mackerel  and 
took  another  tub.  "  They  're  hake,  I  s'pose 
you  know.  But  I  forgot,  —  I  can't  stop  to 
bother  with  them  now."  And  he  pulled  for- 
ward a  barrow  full  of  small  fish,  flat  and 
hard,  with  pointed,  bony  heads. 

"  Those  are  porgies,  are  n't  they  ?  "  asked 
Kate. 


DANNY  99 

"  Yes,"  said  the  man,  "  an'  I  'm  going  to 
sliver  them  for  the  trawls." 

We  knew  what  the  trawls  were,  and  sup- 
posed that  the  porgies  were  to  be  used  for 
bait ;  and  we  soon  found  out  what  "  sliver- 
ing "  meant,  by  seeing  him  take  them  by  the 
head  and  cut  a  slice  from  first  one  side  and 
then  the  other  in  such  a  way  that  the  pieces 
looked  not  unlike  smaller  fish. 

"It  seems  to  me,"  said  I,  "that  fisher- 
men always  have  sharper  knives  than  other 
people." 

"  Yes,  we  do  like  a  sharp  knife  in  our 
trade ;  and  then  we  are  mostly  strong- 
handed." 

He  was  throwing  the  porgies'  heads  and 
backbones  — all  that  was  left  of  them  after 
slivering  —  in  a  heap,  and  now  several  cats 
walked  in  as  if  they  felt  at  home,  and  began 
a  hearty  lunch.  "  What  a  troop  of  pussies 
there  is  round  here,"  said  I ;  "  I  wonder  what 
will  become  of  them  in  the  winter,  —  though, 
to  be  sure,  the  fishing  goes  on  just  the 
same." 

"The  better  part  of  them  don't  get  through 
the  cold  weather,"  said  Danny.  "  Two  or 
three  of  the  old  ones  have  been  here  for 
years,  and  are  as  much  belonging  to  Deep- 


100  DEEPHA YEN 

haven  as  the  meetin'-house ;  but  the  rest  of 
them  an't  to  be  depended  on.  You  '11  miss 
the  young  ones  by  the  dozen,  come  spring. 
'I  don't  know  myself  but  they  move  inland 
in  the  fall  of  the  year ;  they  're  knowing 
enough,  if  that 's  all !  " 

Kate  and  I  stood  in  the  wide  doorway, 
arm  in  arm,  looking  sometimes  at  the  queer 
fisherman  and  the  porgies,  and  sometimes 
out  to  sea.  It  was  low  tide ;  the  wind  had 
risen  a  little,  and  the  heavy  salt  air  blew 
toward  us  from  the  wet  brown  ledges  in  the 
rocky  harbor.  The  sea  was  bright  blue,  and 
the  sun  was  shining.  Two  gulls  were  swing- 
ing lazily  to  and  fro  ;  there  was  a  flock  of 
sand-pipers  down  by  the  water's  edge  in  a 
great  hurry,  as  usual. 

Presently  the  fisherman  spoke  again,  be- 
ginning with  an  odd  laugh :  "  I  was  scared 
last  winter !  Jack  Scudder  and  me,  we  were 
up  in  the  Cap'n  Manning  storehouse  hunt- 
ing for  a  half-bar'l  of  salt  the  skipper  said 
was  there.  It  was  an  awful  blustering  kind 
of  day,  with  a  thin  icy  rain  blowing  from 
all  points  at  once ;  sea  roaring  as  if  it  wished 
it  could  come  ashore  and  put  a  stop  to  every- 
thing. Bad  days  at  sea,  them  are,  rigging 
all  froze  up.  As  I  was  saying,  we  were  hunt- 


DANNY  101 

ing  for  a  half-bar'l  of  salt,  and  I  laid  hold 
of  a  bar'l  that  had  something  heavy  in  the 
bottom,  and  tilted  it  up,  and  my  eye !  there 
was  a  stir  and  a  scratch  and  a  squeal,  and 
out  went  some  kind  of  a  creatur',  and  I 
jumped  back,  not  looking  for  anything  live, 
but  I  see  in  a  minute  it  was  a  cat ;  and  per- 
haps you  think  it  is  a  big  story,  but  there 
were  eight  more  in  there,  hived  in  together 
to  keep  warm.  I  car'd  'em  up  some  new  fish 
that  night ;  they  seemed  short  of  provisions. 
We  had  n't  been  out  fishing  as  much  as  com- 
mon, and  they  had  n't  dared  to  be  round  the 
fish-houses  much,  for  a  fellow  who  came  in 
on  a  coaster  had  a  dog,  and  he  used  to  chase 
'em.  Hard  chance  they  had,  and  lots  of  'em 
died,  I  guess  ;  but  there  seem  to  be  some 
survivin'  relatives,  an'  al'ays  just  so  hungry ! 
I  used  to  feed  them  some  when  I  was  ashore. 
I  think  likely  you  've  heard  that  a  cat  will 
fetch  you  bad  luck  ;  but  I  don't  know 's  that 
made  much  difference  to  me.  I  kind  of  like 
to  keep  on  the  right  side  of  'em  too  ;  if  ever 
I  have  a  bad  dream  there  's  sure  to  be  a  cat 
in  it ;  but  I  was  brought  up  to  be  clever  to 
dumb  beasts,  an'  I  guess  it 's  my  natur'. 
Except  fish,"  said  Danny  after  a  minute's 
thought ;  "  but  then  it  never  seems  like  they 


102  DEEPHAVEN 

had  feelin'8  like  creatur's  that  live  ashore." 
And  we  all  laughed  heartily  and  felt  well 
acquainted. 

"Is  'pose  you  misses  will  laugh  if  I  tell 
ye  I  kept  a  kitty  once  myself."  This  was  said 
rather  shyly,  and  there  was  evidently  a  story, 
so  we  were  much  interested,  and  Kate  said, 
"  Please  tell  us  about  it;  was  it  at  sea?  " 

"  Yes,  it  was  at  sea ;  leastways,  on  a  coaster. 
I  got  her  in  a  sing'lar  kind  of  way:  it  was 
one  afternoon  we  were  lying  alongside  Charles- 
town  Bridge,  and  I  heard  a  young  cat  screech- 
ing real  pitiful ;  and  after  I  looked  all  round, 
I  see  her  in  the  water  clutching  on  to  the  pier 
of  the  bridge,  and  some  little  divils  of  boys 
were  heaving  rocks  down  at  her.  I  got  into 
the  schooner's  tag-boat  quick,  I  tell  ye,  and 
pushed  off  for  her,  'n'  she  let  go  just  as  I  got 
there,  'n'  I  guess  you  never  saw  a  more  mis- 
er'ble-looking  creatur'  than  I  fished  out  of 
the  water.  Cold  weather  it  was.  Her  leg  was 
hurt,  and  her  eye,  and  I  thought  first  I  'd  drop 
her  overboard  again,  and  then  I  did  n't,  and 
I  took  her  aboard  the  schooner  and  put  her 
by  the  stove.  I  thought  she  might  as  well  die 
where  it  was  warm.  She  eat  a  little  mite  of 
chowder  before  night,  but  she  was  very  slim ; 
but  next  morning,  when  I  went  to  see  if  she 


DANNY  103 

was  dead,  she  fell  to  licking  my  finger,  and 
she  did  purr  away  like  a  dolphin.  One  of  her 
eyes  was  out,  where  a  stone  had  took  her,  and 
she  never  got  any  use  of  it,  but  she  used  to 
look  at  you  so  clever  with  the  other,  and  she 
got  well  of  her  lame  foot  after  a  while.  I  got 
to  be  ter'ble  fond  of  her.  She  was  just  the 
knowingest  thing  you  ever  saw,  and  she  used 
to  sleep  alongside  of  me  in  my  bunk,  and 
like  as  not  she  would  go  on  deck  with  me 
when  it  was  my  watch.  I  was  coasting  then 
for  a  year  and  eight  months,  and  I  kept  her 
all  the  time.  We  used  to  be  in  harbor  con- 
sider'ble,  and  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  fore- 
noon I  used  to  drop  a  line  and  catch  her  a 
couple  of  cunners.  Now,  it  is  cur'us  that  she 
used  to  know  when  I  was  fishing  for  her.  She 
would  pounce  on  them  fish  and  carry  them 
off  and  growl,  and  she  knew  when  I  got  a  bite, 
—  she  'd  watch  the  Jine ;  but  when  we  were 
mackereling  she  never  give  us  any  trouble. 
She  would  never  lift  a  paw  to  touch  any  of  our 
fish.  She  did  n't  have  the  thieving  ways  com- 
mon to  most  cats.  She  used  to  set  round  on 
deck  in  fair  weather,  and  when  the  wind 
blew  she  al'ay s  kept  herself  below.  Sometimes 
when  we  were  in  port  she  would  go  ashore 
a  while,  and  fetch  back  a  bird  or  a  mouse,  but 


104  DEEPHA YEN 

she  would  n't  eat  it  till  she  come  and  showed  it 
to  me.  She  never  wanted  to  stop  long  ashore, 
though  I  never  shut  her  up;  I  always  give 
her  her  liberty.  I  got  a  good  deal  of  joking 
about  her  from  the  fellows,  but  she  was  a 
sight  of  company.  I  don'  know  as  I  ever  had 
anything  like  me  as  much  as  she  did.  Not  to 
say  as  I  ever  had  much  of  any  trouble  with 
anybody,  ashore  or  afloat.  I  'm  a  still  kind 
of  fellow,  for  all  I  look  so  rough. 

"  But  then,  I  han't  had  a  home,  what  I  call 
a  home,  since  I  was  going  on  nine  year  old." 

"  How  has  that  happened?"  asked  Kate. 

"  Well,  mother,  she  died,  and  I  was  bound 
out  to  a  man  in  the  tanning  trade,  and  I  hated 
him,  and  I  hated  the  trade  ;  and  when  I  was 
a  little  bigger  I  ran  away,  and  I  've  followed 
the  sea  ever  since.  I  was  n't  much  use  to  him, 
I  guess ;  leastways,  he  never  took  the  trouble 
to  hunt  me  up. 

"  About  the  best  place  I  ever  was  in  was 
a  hospital.  It  was  in  foreign  parts.  Ye  see  I  'm 
crippled  some?  I  fell  from  the  topsail  yard 
to  the  deck,  and  I  struck  my  shoulder,  and 
broke  my  leg,  and  banged  myself  all  up.  It 
was  to  a  nuns'  hospital  where  they  took  me. 
All  of  the  nuns  were  Catholics,  and  they 
wore  big  white  things  on  their  heads.  I  don't 


DANNY  105 

suppose  you  ever  saw  any.  Have  you  ?  Well, 
now,  that 's  queer !  When  I  was  first  there  I 
was  scared  of  them ;  they  were  real  ladies, 
and  I  was  n't  used  to  being  in  a  house,  any- 
way. One  of  them,  that  took  care  of  me  most 
of  the  time,  why,  she  would  even  set  up  half 
the  night  with  me,  and  I  couldn't  begin 
to  tell  you  how  good-natured  she  was,  an' 
she  'd  look  real  sorry  too.  I  used  to  be  ugly, 
I  ached  so,  along  in  the  first  of  my  being 
there,  but  I  spoke  of  it  when  I  was  com- 
ing away,  and  she  said  it  was  all  right.  She 
used  to  feed  me,  that  lady  did ;  and  there 
were  some  days  I  could  n't  lift  my  head,  and 
she  would  rise  it  on  her  arm.  She  give  me  a 
little  mite  of  a  book,  when  I  come  away.  I  'm 
not  much  of  ,a  hand  at  reading,  but  I  always 
kept  it  on  account  of  her.  She  was  so  pleased 
when  I  got  so 's  to  set  up  in  a  chair  and  look 
out  of  the  window.  She  was  n't  much  of  a 
hand  to  talk  English.  I  did  feel  bad  to  come 
away  from  there ;  I  'most  wished  I  could  be 
sick  a  while  longer.  I  never  said  much  of 
anything  either,  and  I  don't  know  but  she 
thought  it  was  queer,  but  I  am  a  dreadful 
clumsy  man  to  say  anything,  and  I  got  flus- 
tered. I  don't  know  's  I  mind  telling  you ;  I 
was  'most  a-crying,  I  used  to  think  I  'd  lay  by 


106  DEEPHAVEN 

some  money  and  ship  for  there  and  carry  her 
something  real  pretty.  But  I  don't  rank  able- 
bodied  seaman  like  I  used,  and  it 's  as  much 
as  I  can  do  to  get  a  berth  on  a  coaster;  I 
suppose  I  might  go  -as  cook.  I  liked  to  have 
died  with  my  hurt  at  that  hospital,  but  when 
I  was  getting  well  it  made  me  think  of  when 
I  was  a  mite  of  a  chap  to  home  before  mother 
died,  to  be  laying  there  in  a  clean  bed  with 
somebody  to  do  for  me.  Guess  you  think  I  'm 
a  good  hand  to  spin  long  yarns;  somehow  it 
comes  easy  to  talk  to-day." 

"  What  became  of  your  cat?"  asked  Kate, 
after  a  pause,  during  which  our  friend  sliced 
away  at  the  porgies. 

"  I  never  rightfully  knew ;  it  was  in  Salem 
harbor,  and  a  windy  night.  I  was  on  deck 
consider'ble,  for  the  schooner  pitched  lively, 
and  once  or  twice  she  dragged  her  anchor. 
I  never  saw  the  kitty  after  she  eat  her  sup- 
per. I  remember  I  gave  her  some  milk,  —  I 
used  to  buy  her  a  pint  once  in  a  while  for  a 
treat ;  I  don't  know  but  she  might  have  gone 
off  on  a  cake  of  ice,  but  it  did  seem  as  if  she 
had  too  much  sense  for  that.  Most  likely  she 
missed  her  footing,  and  fell  overboard  in  the 
dark.  She  was  marked  real  pretty,  black  and 
white,  and  kep'  herself  just  as  clean!  She 


DANNY  107 

knew  as  well  as  could  be  when  foul  weather 
was  coming ;  she  would  bother  round  and 
act  queer;  but  when  the  sun  was  out  she 
would  sit  round  on  deck  as  pleased  as  a  queen. 
There !  I  feel  bad  sometimes  when  I  think  of 
her,  and  I  never  went  into  Salem  since  with- 
out hoping  that  I  should  see  her.  I  don't 
know  but  if  I  was  a-going  to  begin  my  life 
over  again,  I  'd  settle  down  ashore  and  have 
a  snug  little  house  and  farm  it.  But  I  guess 
I  shall  do  better  at  fishing.  Give  me  a  trig- 
built  topsail  schooner  painted  up  nice,  with 
a  stripe  on  her,  and  clean  sails,  and  a  fresh 
wind  with  the  sun  a-shining,  and  I  feel  first- 
rate." 

"  Do  you  believe  that  codfish  swallow  stones 
before  a  storm?"  asked  Kate.  I  had  been 
thinking  about  the  lonely  fisherman  in  a  sen- 
timental way,  and  so  irrelevant  a  question 
shocked  me.  "  I  sawlie  felt  slightly  embar- 
rassed at  having  talked  about  his  affairs 
so  much,"  Kate  told  me  afterward,  "  and  I 
thought  we  should  leave  him  feeling  more  at 
his  ease  if  we  talked  about  fish  for  a  while." 
And  sure  enough  he  did  seem  relieved,  and 
gave  us  his  opinion  about  the  codfish  at  once, 
adding  that  he  never  cared  much  for  cod  any- 
way; folks  up  country  bought  'em  a  good 


108  DEEPHA VEN 

deal,  he  heard.  Give  him  a  haddock  right 
out  of  the  water  for  his  dinner ! 

"  I  never  can  remember,"  said  Kate, "  whe- 
ther it  is  cod  or  haddock  that  have  a  black 
stripe  along  their  sides — " 

"  O,  those  are  haddock,"  said  I;  "they  say 
that  the  Devil  caught  a  haddock  once,  and  it 
slipped  through  his  fingers  and  got  scorched ; 
so  all  the  haddock  had  the  same  mark  after- 
ward." 

"  Well,  now,  how  did  you  know  that  old 
story?  "  said  Danny,  laughing  heartily ;  "ye 
mustn't  believe  all  the  old  stories  ye  hear, 
mind  ye ! " 

"  O,  no,"  said  we. 

"Hullo!  There's  Jim  Toggerson's  boat 
close  in  shore.  She  sets  low  in  the  water,  so 
he's  done  well.  He  and  Skipper  Scudder 
have  been  out  deep-sea  fishing  since  yester- 
day." 

Our  friend  pushed  the  porgies  back  into  a 
corner,  stuck  his  knife  into  a  beam,  and  we 
hurried  down  to  the  shore.  Kate  and  I  sat 
on  the  pebbles,  and  he  went  out  to  the  moor- 
ings in  a  dirty  dory  to  help  unload  the  fish. 

We  afterward  saw  a  great  deal  of  Danny, 
as  all  the  men  called  him.  But  though  Kate 
and  I  tried  our  best  and  used  our  utmost  skill 


DANNY  109 

and  tact  to  make  him  tell  us  more  about  him- 
self, he  never  did.  But  perhaps  there  was 
nothing  more  to  be  told. 

The  day  we  left  Deephaven  we  went  down 
to  the  shore  to  say  good-by  to  him  and  to 
some  other  friends,  and  he  said,  "  Goin',  are 
ye  ?  Well,  I  'm  sorry ;  ye  've  treated  me  first- 
rate  ;  the  Lord  bless  ye !  "  and  then  was  so 
much  mortified  at  the  way  he  had  said  fare- 
well that  he  turned  and  fled  round  the  cor- 
ner of  the  fish-house. 


CAPTAIN  SANDS 

OLD  Captain  Sands  was  one  of  the  most 
prominent  citizens  of  Deephaven,  and  a  very 
good  friend  of  Kate's  and  mine.  We  often 
met  him,  and  grew  much  interested  in  him 
before  we  knew  him  well.  He  had  a  reputa- 
tion in  town  for  being  peculiar  and  somewhat 
visionary ;  but  every  one  seemed  to  like  him, 
and  at  last  one  morning,  when  we  happened 
to  be  on  our  way  to  the  wharves,  we  stopped 
at  the  door  of  an  old  warehouse  which  we  had 
never  seen  opened  before.  Captain  Sands  sat 
just  inside,  smoking  his  pipe,  and  we  said 
good-morning,  and  asked  him  if  he  did  not 
think  there  was  a  fog  coming  in  by  and  by. 
We  had  thought  a  little  of  going  out  to  the 
lighthouse.  The  cap'n  rose  slowly,  and  came 
out  so  that  he  could  see  farther  round  to  the 
east.  "  There 's  some  scud  coming  in  a' ready," 
said  he.  "  None  to  speak  of  yet,  I  don't  know 's 
you  can  see  it,  —  yes,  you  're  right ;  there  's 
a  heavy  bank  of  fog  lyin'  off,  but  it  won't  be 
in  under  two  or  three  hours  yet,  unless  the 
wind  backs  round  more  and  freshens  up. 
Were  n't  thinking  of  going  out,  were  ye  ?  " 


CAPTAIN  SANDS  111 

"A  little,"  said  Kate, "  but  we  had  nearly 
given  it  up.  We  are  getting  to  be  very  wea- 
ther-wise, and  we  pride  ourselves  on  being 
quick  at  seeing  fogs."  At  which  the  cap'n 
smiled  and  said  we  were  consider'ble  young 
to  know  much  about  weather,  but  it  looked 
well  that  we  took  some  interest  in  it ;  most 
young  people  were  fools  about  weather,  and 
would  just  as  soon  set  off  to  go  anywhere 
right  under  the  edge  of  a  thunder-shower. 
"Come  in  and  set  down,  won't  ye?"  he 
added ;  "  it  ain't  much  of  a  place ;  I  've  got 
a  lot  of  old  stuff  stowed  away  here  that  the 
women-folks  don't  want  up  to  the  house.  I  'm 
a  great  hand  for  keeping  things."  And  he 
looked  round  fondly  at  the  contents  of  the 
wide  low  room.  "  I  come  down  here  once  in 
a  while  and  let  in  the  sun,  and  sometimes  I 
want  to  hunt  up  something  or  'nother ;  kind 
of  stow-away  place,  ye  see."  And  then  he 
laughed  apologetically,  rubbing  his  hands  to- 
gether, and  looking  out  to  sea  again  as  if  he 
wished  to  appear  unconcerned ;  yet  we  saw 
that  he  wondered  if  we  thought  it  ridiculous 
for  a  man  of  his  age  to  have  treasured  up 
so  much  trumpery  in  that  cobwebby  place. 
There  were  some  whole  oars  and  the  sail  of 
his  boat  and  two  or  three  killicks  and  paint- 


112  DEEPS AV EN 

ers,  not  to  forget  a  heap  of  worn-out  oars  and 
sails  in  one  corner  and  a  sailor's  hammock 
slung  across  the  beam  overhead,  and  there 
were  some  sailor's  chests  and  the  capstan  of 
a  ship  and  innumerable  boxes  which  all  seemed 
to  be  stuffed  full,  besides  no  end  of  things 
lying  on  the  floor  and  packed  away  on  shelves 
and  hanging  to  rusty  big-headed  nails  in  the 
wall.  I  saw  some  great  lumps  of  coral,  and 
large,  rough  shells,  a  great  hornet's  nest,  and 
a  monstrous  lobster  -  shell.  The  cap'n  had 
cobbled  and  tied  up  some  remarkable  old 
chairs  for  the  accommodation  of  himself  and 
his  friends. 

"  What  a  nice  place ! "  said  Kate  in  a 
frank,  delighted  way  which  could  not  have 
failed  to  be  gratifying. 

"  Well,  no,"  said  the  cap'n,  with  his  slow 
smile,  "  it  ain't  what  you  'd  rightly  call '  nice,' 
as  I  know  of :  it  ain't  never  been  cleared  out 
all  at  once  since  I  began  putting  in.  There  's 
nothing  that 's  worth  anything,  either,  to  any- 
body but  me.  Wife,  she 's  said  to  me  a  hun- 
dred times,  '  Why  don't  you  overhaul  them 
old  things  and  burn  'em  ? '  She 's  al'ays  at 
me  about  letting  the  property,  as  if  it  were  a 
corner-lot  in  Broadway.  That 's  all  women- 
folks know  about  business  !  "  And  here  the 


CAPTAIN  SANDS  113 

captain  caught  himself  tripping,  and  looked 
uneasy  for  a  minute.  "  I  suppose  I  might 
have  let  it  for  a  fish-house,  but  it 's  most  too 
far  from  the  shore  to  be  handy —  and  —  well 
— there  are  some  things  here  that  I  set  a  good 
deal  by." 

"  Is  n't  that  a  sword-fish's  sword  in  that 
piece  of  wood  ?  "  Kate  asked  presently ;  and 
was  answered  that  it  was  found  broken  off  as 
we  saw  it,  in  the  hull  of  a  wreck  that  went 
ashore  on  Blue  P'int  when  the  captain  was 
a  young  man,  and  he  had  sawed  it  out  and 
kept  it  ever  since,  —  fifty-nine  years.  Of 
course  we  went  closer  to  look  at  it,  and  we 
both  felt  a  great  sympathy  for  this  friend  of 
ours,  because  we  have  the  same  fashion  of 
keeping  worthless  treasures,  and  we  under- 
stood perfectly  how  dear  such  things  may  be. 

"  Do  you  mind  if  we  look  round  a  little  ?  " 
I  asked  doubtfully,  for  I  knew  how  I  should 
hate  having  strangers  look  over  my  own  trea- 
sury. But  Captain  Sands  looked  pleased  at 
our  interest,  and  said  cheerfully  that  we 
might  overhaul  as  much  as  we  chose.  Kate 
discovered  first  an  old  battered  wooden  fig- 
ure-head of  a  ship, — a  woman's  head  with 
long  curly  hair  falling  over  the  shoulders. 
The  paint  was  almost  gone,  and  the  dust  cov- 


114  DEEPHAVEN 

ered  most  of  what  was  left :  still,  there  was 
a  wonderful  spirit  and  grace,  and  a  wild, 
weird  beauty  which  attracted  us  exceedingly ; 
but  the  captain  could  only  tell  us  that  it  had 
belonged  to  the  wreck  of  a  Danish  brig  which 
had  been  driven  on  the  reef  where  the  light- 
house stands  now,  and  his  father  had  found 
this  on  the  long  sands  a  day  or  two  after- 
ward. "  That  was  a  dreadful  storm,"  said 
the  captain.  "  I  've  heard  the  old  folks  tell 
about  it ;  it  was  when  I  was  only  a  year 
or  two  old.  There  were  three  merchantmen 
wrecked  within  five  miles  of  Deephaven. 
This  one  was  all  stove  to  splinters,  and  they 
used  to  say  she  had  treasure  aboard.  When 
I  was  small  I  used  to  have  a  great  idea  of 
going  out  there  to  the  rocks  at  low  water  and 
trying  to  find  some  gold,  but  I  never  made 
out  no  great."  And  he  smiled  indulgently 
at  the  thought  of  his  youthful  dream. 

"  Kate,"  said  I,  "  do  you  see  what  beauties 
these  Turk's- head  knots  are  ?  "  We  had  been 
taking  a  course  of  first  lessons  in  knots  from 
Danny,  and  had  followed  by  learning  some 
charmingly  intricate  ones  from  Captain  Lant, 
the  stranded  mariner  who  lived  on  a  farm 
two  miles  or  so  inland.  Kate  came  over  to 
look  at  the  Turk's-heads,  which  were  at  either 


CAPTAIN  SANDS  115 

end  of  the  rope  handles  of  a  little  dark-blue 
chest. 

Captain  Sands  turned  in  his  chair  and 
nodded  approval.  "  That 's  a  neat  piece  of 
work,  and  it  was  a  first-rate  seaman  who  did 
it ;  he 's  dead  and  gone  years  ago,  poor  young 
fellow ;  an  I-talian  he  was,  who  sailed  on  the 
Ranger  three  or  four  long  voyages.  He  fell 
from  the  mast-head  on  the  voyage  home  from 
Callao.  Cap'n  Manning  and  old  Mr.  Lori- 
mer,  they  owned  the  Ranger,  and  when  she 
come  into  port  and  they  got  the  news  they 
took  it  as  much  to  heart  a&  if  he  'd  been  some 
relation.  He  was  smart  as  a  whip,  and  had  a 
way  with  him,  and  the  pleasantest  kind  of  a 
voice ;  you  could  n't  help  liking  him.  They 
found  out  that  he  had  a  mother  alive  in  Port 
Mahon,  and  they  sent  his  pay  and  some 
money  he  had  in  the  bank  at  Riverport  out 
to  her  by  a  ship  that  was  going  to  the  Medi- 
terranean. He  had  some  clothes  in  his  chest, 
and  they  sold  those  and  sent  her  the  money, 
—  all  but  some  trinkets  they  supposed  he 
was  keeping  for  her;  I  rec'lect  he  used 
to  speak  consider'ble  about  his  mother.  I 
shipped  one  v'y'ge  with  him  before  the  mast, 
before  I  went  out  mate  of  the  Daylight.  I 
happened  to  be  in  port  the  time  the  Ranger 


116  DEEPS AVEN 

got  in,  an'  I  gee  this  chist  lying  round  in 
Cap'n  Manning's  storehouse,  and  I  offered 
to  give  him  what  it  was  worth  ;  but  we  was 
good  friends,  and  he  told  me  take  it  if  I 
wanted  it,  it  was  no  use  to  him,  and  I '  ve 
kept  it  ever  since. 

"  There  are  some  of  his  traps  in  it  now,  I 
believe  ;  ye  can  look."  And  we  took  off  some 
tangled  cod  -  lines  and  opened  the  chest. 
There  was  only  a  round  wooden  box  in  the 
till,  and  in  some  idle  hour  at  sea  the  young 
sailor  had  carved  his  initials  and  an  anchor 
and  the  date  on  the  cover.  We  found  some 
sail-needles  and  a  palm  in  this  "  kit,"  as  the 
sailors  call  it,  and  a  little  string  of  buttons 
with  some  needles  and  yarn  and  thread  in  a 
neat  little  bag,  which  perhaps  his  mother  had 
made  for  him  when  he  started  off  on  his  first 
voyage.  Besides  these  things  there  was  only 
a  fanciful  little  broken  buckle,  green  and  gilt, 
which  he  might  have  picked  up  in  some  for- 
eign street,  and  his  protection-paper  carefully 
folded,  wherein  he  was  certified  as  being  a 
citizen  of  the  United  States,  with  dark  com- 
plexion and  dark  hair. 

"  He  was  one  of  the  pleasantest  fellows 
that  ever  I  shipped  with,"  said  the  captain, 
with  a  gruff  tenderness  in  his  voice.  "  Always 


CAPTAIN  SANDS  117 

willin'  to  do  his  work  himself,  and  like 's  not 
when  the  other  fellows  up  the  rigging  were 
cold,  or  ugly  about  something  or  'nother,  he  'd 
say  something  that  would  set  them  all  laugh- 
ing, and  somehow  it  made  you  good-natured 
to  see  him  round.  He  was  brought  up  a 
Catholic,  I  s'pose;  anyway,  he  had  some 
beads,  and  sometimes  they  would  joke  him 
about  'em  on  board  ship,  but  he  would  blaze 
up  in  a  minute,  ugly  as  a  tiger.  I  never 
saw  him  mad  about  anything  else,  though 
he  wouldn't  stand  it  if  anybody  tried  to 
crowd  him.  He  fell  from  the  main-to'-gallant 
yard  to  the  deck,  and  he  was  dead  when  they 
picked  him  up.  They  were  off  the  Bermu- 
das. I  suppose  he  lost  his  balance,  but  I 
never  could  see  how ;  he  was  sure-footed,  and 
as  quick  as  a  cat.  They  said  they  saw  him 
try  to  catch  at  the  stay,  but  there  was  a 
heavy  sea  running,  and  the  ship  rolled  just 
so  's  to  let  him  through  between  the  rigging, 
and  he  struck  the  deck  like  a  stone.  I  don't 
know 's  that  chest  has  been  opened  these  ten 
years, — I  declare  it  carries  me  back  to  look 
at  those  poor  little  traps  of  his.  Well,  it 's 
the  way  of  the  world ;  we  think  we  're  some- 
body, and  we  have  our  day,  but  it  is  n't  long 
afore  we  're  forgotten." 


118  DEEPHAVEN 

The  captain  reached  over  for  the  paper, 
and  taking  out  a  clumsy  pair  of  steel-bowed 
spectacles,  read  it  through  carefully.  "  I  '11 
warrant  he  took  good  care  of  this,"  said  he. 
"  He  was  an  I  Lilian,  and  no  more  of  an  Amer- 
ican citizen  than  a  Chinese ;  I  wonder  he 
had  n't  called  himself  John  Jones,  that 's  the 
name  most  of  the  foreigners  used  to  take  when 
they  got  their  papers.  I  remember  once  I 
was  sick  with  a  fever  in  Chelsea  Hospital, 
and  one  morning  they  came  bringing  in  the 
mate  of  a  Portugee  brig  on  a  stretcher,  and 
the  surgeon  asked  what  his  name  was.  'John 
Jones,'  says  he.  '  O,  say  something  else,' 
says  the  surgeon;  'we've  got  five  John 
Joneses  here  a'ready,  and  it 's  getting  to  be 
no  name  at  all.'  Sailors  are  great  hands  for 
false  names ;  they  have  a  trick  of  using  them 
when  they  have  any  money  to  leave  ashore, 
for  fear  their  shipmates  will  go  and  draw  it 
out.  I  suppose  there  are  thousands  of  dollars 
unclaimed  in  New  York  banks,  where  men 
have  left  it  charged  to  their  false  names; 
then  they  get  lost  at  sea  or  something,  and 
never  go  to  get  it,  and  nobody  knows  whose 
it  is.  They're  curious  folks,  take  'em  alto- 
gether, sailors  is;  specially  these  foreign  fel- 
lows that  wander  about  from  ship  to  ship. 


CAPTAIN  SANDS  119 

They're  getting  to  be  a  dreadful  low  set, 
too,  of  late  years.  It 's  the  last  thing  I  'd 
want  a  boy  of  mine  to  do,  —  ship  before 
the  mast  with  one  of  these  mixed  crews. 
It's  a  dog's  life,  anyway,  and  the  risks 
and  the  chances  against  you  are  awful.  It 's 
a  good  while  before  you  can  lay  up  any- 
thing, unless  you  are  part  owner.  I  saw  all 
the  p'ints  a  good  deal  plainer  after  I  quit 
followin'  the  sea  myself,  though  I  've  always 
been  more  or  less  into  navigation  until  this 
last  war  come  on.  I  know  when  I  was  ship's 
husband  of  the  Polly  and  Susan  there  was 
a  young  man  went  out  cap'n  of  her,  —  her 
last  voyage,  and  she  never  was  heard  from. 
He  had  a  wife  and  two  or  three  little  chil- 
dren, and  for  all  he  was  so  smart,  they  would 
have  been  about  the  same  as  beggars,  if  I 
had  n't  happened  to  have  his  life  insured 
the  day  I  was  having  the  papers  made  out 
for  the  ship.  I  happened  to  think  of  it.  Five 
thousand  dollars  there  was,  and  I  sent  it 
to  the  widow  along  with  his  primage.  She 
had  n't  expected  nothing,  or  next  to  nothing, 
and  she  was  pleased,  I  tell  ye." 

"  I  think  it  was  very  kind  in  you  to  think 
of  that,  Captain  Sands,"  said  Kate.  And  the 
old  man  said,  flushing  a  little,  "  Well,  I  'm 


120  .DEEPHAVEN 

not  so  smart  as  some  of  the  men  who  started 
when  I  did,  and  some  of  'em  went  ahead  of 
me,  but  some  of  'em  did  n't,  after  all.  I  've 
tried  to  be  honest,  and  to  do  just  about  as 
nigh  right  as  I  could,  and  you  know  there 's 
an  old  sayin'  that  a  cripple  in  the  right  road 
will  beat  a  racer  in  the  wrong." 


THE  CIRCUS  AT  DENBY 

KATE  and  I  looked  forward  to  a  certain 
Saturday  with  as  much  eagerness  as  if  we 
had  been  little  school-boys,  for  on  that  day 
we  were  to  go  to  a  circus  at  Denby,  a  town 
perhaps  eight  miles  inland.  There  had  not 
been  a  circus  so  near  Deephaven  for  a  long 
time,  and  nobody  had  dared  to  believe  the 
first  rumor  of  it,  until  two  dashing  young 
men  had  deigned  to  come  themselves  to  put 
up  the  big  posters  on  the  end  of  'Bijah  Mau- 
ley's barn.  All  the  boys  in  town  came  as 
soon  as  possible  to  see  these  amazing  pic- 
tures, and  some  were  wretched  in  their  secret 
hearts  at  the  thought  that  they  might  not 
see  the  show  itself.  Tommy  Dockum  was 
more  interested  than  any  one  else,  and  men- 
tioned the  subject  so  frequently  one  day 
when  he  went  blackberrying  with  us,  that 
we  grew  enthusiastic,  and  told  each  other 
what  fun  it  would  be  to  go,  for  everybody 
would  be  there,  and  it  would  be  the  greatest 
loss  to  us  if  we  were  absent.  I  thought  I 
had  lost  my  childish  fondness  for  circuses, 
but  it  came  back  redoubled ;  and  Kate  may 


122  DEEPHAVEN 

contradict  me  if  she  chooses,  but  I  am  sure 
she  never  looked  forward  to  the  Easter  Ora- 
torio with  half  the  pleasure  she  did  to  this 
"  caravan,"  as  most  of  the  people  called  it. 

We  felt  that  it  was  a  great  pity  that  any 
of  the  boys  and  girls  should  be  left  lament- 
ing at  home,  and  finding  that  there  were 
some  of  our  acquaintances  and  Tommy's 
who  saw  no  chance  of  going,  we  engaged  Jo 
Sands  and  Leander  Dockum  to  carry  them 
to  Denby  in  two  fish-wagons,  with  boards 
laid  across  for  the  extra  seats.  We  saw  them 
join  the  straggling  train  of  carriages  which 
had  begun  to  go  through  the  village  from  all 
along  shore,  soon  after  daylight,  and  they 
started  on  their  journey  shouting  and  carous- 
ing, with  their  pockets  crammed  with  early 
apples  and  other  provisions.  We  thought 
it  would  have  been  fun  enough  to  see  the 
people  go  by,  for  we  had  had  no  idea  until 
then  how  many  inhabitants  that  country 
held. 

We  had  asked  Mrs.  Kew  to  go  with  us ; 
but  she  was  half  an  hour  later  than  she  had 
promised,  for,  since  there  was  no  wind,  she 
could  not  come  ashore  in  the  sail-boat,  and 
Mr.  Kew  had  had  to  row  her  in  in  the  dory. 
We  saw  the  boat  at  last  nearly  in  shore, 


THE    CIRCUS   AT   DENBY  12$ 

and  drove  down  to  meet  it:  even  the  horse 
seemed  to  realize  what  a  great  day  it  was, 
and  showed  a  disposition  to  friskiness,  evi- 
dently as  surprising  to  himself  as  to  us. 

Mrs.  Kew  was  funnier  that  day  than  we 
had  ever  known  her,  which  is  saying  a  great 
deal,  and  we  should  not  have  had  half  so 
good  a  time  if  she  had  not  been  with  us ; 
although  she  lived  in  the  lighthouse,  and 
had  no  chance  to  "  see  passing,"  which  a 
woman  prizes  so  highly  in  the  country,  she 
had  a  wonderful  memory  for  faces,  and  could 
tell  us  the  names  of  all  Deephaveners  and 
of  most  of  the  people  we  met  outside  its 
limits.  She  looked  impressed  and  solemn  as 
she  hurried  up  from  the  water's  edge,  giving 
Mr.  Kew  some  parting  charges  over  her 
shoulder  as  he  pushed  off  the  boat  to  go 
back ;  but  after  we  had  convinced  her  that 
the  delay  had  not  troubled  us,  she  seemed 
more  cheerful.  It  was  evident  that  she  felt 
the  importance  of  the  occasion,  and  that  she 
was  pleased  at  our  having  chosen  her  for 
company.  She  threw  back  her  veil  entirely,  sat 
very  straight,  and  took  immense  pains  to  bow 
to  every  acquaintance  whom  she  met.  She 
wore  her  best  Sunday  clothes, and  her  manner 
was  formal  for  the  first  few  minutes;  it  was 


124  DEEPBAVEN 

evident  that  she  felt  we  were  meeting  under 
unusual  circumstances,  and  that,  although  we 
had  often  met  before  on  the  friendliest  terms, 
our  having  asked  her  to  make  this  excursion 
in  public  required  a  different  sort  of  behavior 
at  her  hands,  and  a  due  amount  of  ceremony 
and  propriety.  But  this  state  of  things  did 
not  last  long,  as  she  soon  made  a  remark  at 
which  Kate  and  I  laughed  so  heartily  in 
lighthouse-acquaintance  fashion,  that  she  un- 
bent, and  gave  her  whole  mind  to  enjoying 
herself. 

When  we  came  by  the  store  where  the  post- 
office  was  kept  we  saw  a  small  knot  of  people 
gathered  round  the  door,  and  stopped  to  see 
what  had  happened.  There  was  a  forlorn 
horse  standing  near,  with  his  harness  tied  up 
with  fuzzy  ends  of  rope,  and  the  wagon  was 
cobbled  together  with  pieces  of  board ;  the 
whole  craft  looked  as  if  it  might  be  wrecked 
with  the  least  jar.  In  the  wagon  were  four 
or  five  stupid-looking  boys  and  girls,  one  of 
whom  was  crying  softly.  Their  father  was 
sick,  some  one  told  us.  "  He  was  took  faint, 
but  he  is  coming  to  all  right ;  they  have  give 
him  something  to  take :  their  name  is  dra- 
per, and  they  live  way  over  beyond  the  Ridge, 
on  Stone  Hill.  They  were  goin'  over  to  Denby 


THE    CIRCUS  AT  DENBY  125 

to  the  circus,  and  the  man  was  calc'lating  to 
get  doctored,  but  I  d'  know 's  he  can  get  so 
fur;  he  's  powerful  slim-looking  to  me."  Kate 
and  I  went  to  see  if  we  could  be  of  any  use, 
and  when  we  went  into  the  store  we  saw  the 
man  leaning  back  in  his  chair,  looking  ghastly 
pale,  and  as  if  he  were  far  gone  in  consump- 
tion. Kate  spoke  to  him,  and  he  said  he  was 
better ;  he  had  felt  bad  all  the  way  along, 
but  he  had  n't  given  up.  He  was  pitiful,  poor 
fellow,  with  his  evident  attempt  at  dressing 
up.  He  had  the  bushiest,  dustiest  red  hair  and 
whiskers,  which  made  the  pallor  of  his  face 
still  more  striking,  and  his  illness  had  thinned 
and  paled  his  rough,  clumsy  hands.  I  thought 
what  a  hard  piece  of  work  it  must  have  been 
for  him  to  start  for  the  circus  that  morning, 
and  how  kind-hearted  he  must  be  to  have 
made  such  an  effort  for  his  children's  plea- 
sure. As  we  went  out  they  stared  at  us  gloom- 
ily. The  shadow  of  their  disappointment 
touched  and  chilled  our  pleasure. 

Somebody  had  turned  the  horse  so  that  he 
was  heading  toward  home,  and  by  his  actions 
he  showed  that  he  was  the  only  one  of  the 
party  who  was  glad.  We  were  so  sorry  for 
the  children ;  perhaps  it  had  promised  to  be 
the  happiest  day  of  their  lives,  and  now  they 


126  DEEPHAVEN 

must  go  back  to  their  uninteresting  home 
without  having  seen  the  great  show. 

"  I  am  so  sorry  you  are  disappointed," 
said  Kate,  as  we  were  wondering  how  the 
man,  who  had  followed  us,  could  ever  climb 
into  the  wagon. 

"  Heh  ?  "  said  he  blankly,  as  if  he  did  not 
know  what  her  words  meant.  "  What  fool 
has  been  a-turning  o'  this  horse  ?  "  he  asked 
a  man  who  was  looking  on. 

"  Why,  which  way  be  ye  goin'  ?" 

"  To  the  circus,"  said  Mr.  Craper  with  de- 
cision, "where  d'  ye  s'pose?  That's  where  I 
started  for,  anyways."  And  he  climbed  in 
and  glanced  round  to  count  the  children, 
struck  the  horse  with  the  willow  switch,  and 
they  started  off  briskly,  while  everybody 
laughed.  Kate  and  I  joined  Mrs.  Kew,  who 
had  enjoyed  the  scene. 

"  Well,  there !  "  said  she,  "  I  wonder  the 
folks  in  the  old  North  burying-ground  ain't 
a- rising  up  to  go  to  Denby  to  that  caravan !  " 

We  reached  Denby  at  noon  ;  it  was  an  un- 
interesting town  which  had  grown  up  around 
some  mills.  There  was  a  great  commotion  in 
the  streets,  and  it  was  evident  that  we  had 
lost  much  in  not  having  seen  the  procession. 
There  was  a  great  deal  of  business  going  on 


THE   CIRCUS  AT  DENBY  127 

in  the  shops,  and  there  were  two  or  three 
hand-organs  at  large,  near  one  of  which  we 
stopped  a  while  to  listen,  just  after  we  had 
met  Leander  and  given  the  horse  into  his 
charge.  Mrs.  Kew  finished  her  shopping  as 
soon  as  possible,  and  we  hurried  toward  the 
great  tents,  where  all  the  flags  were  flying. 
I  think  I  have  not  told  you  that  we  were  to 
have  the  benefit  of  seeing  a  menagerie  in  ad- 
dition to  the  circus,  and  you  may  be  sure  we 
went  faithfully  round  to  see  everything  that 
the  cages  held. 

I  cannot  truthfully  say  that  it  was  a  good 
show ;  it  was  somewhat  dreary,  now  that  I 
think  of  it  quietly  and  without  excitement. 
The  creatures  looked  tired,  and  as  if  they 
had  been  on  the  road  for  a  great  many  years. 
The  animals  were  all  old,  and  there  was  a 
shabby  great  elephant  whose  look  of  general 
discouragement  went  to  my  heart,  for  it 
seemed  as  if  he  were  miserably  conscious  of 
a  misspent  life.  He  stood  dejected  and  mo- 
tionless at  one  side  of  the  tent,  and  it  was 
hard  to  believe  that  there  was  a  spark  of  vi- 
tality left  in  him.  A  great  number  of  the 
people  had  never  seen  an  elephant  before, 
and  we  heard  a  thin  little  old  man,  who  stood 
near  us,  say  delightedly,  "  There 's  the  old 


128  DEEP HAVEN 

creatur',  and  no  mistake,  Ann  'Liza.  I 
wanted  to  see  hitn  most  of  anything.  My 
sakes  alive,  ain't  he  big  !  " 

And  Ann  'Liza,  who  was  stout  and  sleepy- 
looking,  droned  out,  "  Ye-es,  there 's  con- 
sider'ble  of  him  ;  but  he  looks  as  if  he  ain't 
got  no  animation." 

Kate  and  I  turned  away  and  laughed,  while 
Mrs.  Kew  said  confidentially,  as  the  couple 
moved  away,  "  /She  need  n't  be  a-reflectin' 
on  the  poor  beast.  That 's  Mis'  Seth  Tanner, 
and  there  is  n't  a  woman  in  Deephaven  nor 
East  Parish  to  be  named  the  same  day  with 
her  for  laziness.  I  'm  glad  she  did  n't  catch 
sight  of  me ;  she  'd  have  talked  about  no- 
thing for  a  fortnight." 

There  was  a  picture  of  a  huge  snake  in 
Deephaven,  and  I  was  just  wondering  where 
he  could  be,  or  if  there  ever  had  been  one, 
when  we  heard  a  boy  ask  the  same  question 
of  the  man  whose  thankless  task  it  was  to 
stir  up  the  lions  with  a  stick  to  make  them 
roar.  "  The  snake 's  dead,"  he  answered  good- 
naturedly.  "  Did  n't  you  have  to  dig  an  awful 
long  grave  for  him  ?  "  asked  the  boy ;  but 
the  man  said  he  reckoned  they  curled  him 
up  some,  and  smiled  as  he  turned  to  his  lions, 
who  looked  as  if  they  needed  a  tonic.  Every- 


THE    CIRCUS  AT  DENBY  129 

body  lingered  longest  before  the  monkeys, 
who  seemed  to  be  the  only  lively  creatures 
in  the  whole  collection  ;  and  finally  we  made 
our  way  into  the  other  tent,  and  perched  our- 
selves on  a  high  seat,  from  whence  we  had 
a  capital  view  of  the  audience  and  the  ring, 
and  could  see  the  people  come  in.  Mrs.  Kew 
was  on  the  lookout  for  acquaintances,  and 
her  spirits  as  well  as  our  own  seemed  to  rise 
higher  and  higher.  She  was  on  the  alert, 
moving  her  head  this  way  and  that  to  catch 
sight  of  people,  giving  us  a  running  com- 
mentary in  the  mean  time.  It  was  very  plea- 
sant to  see  a  person  so  happy  as  Mrs.  Kew 
was  that  day,  and  I  dare  say  in  speaking  of 
the  occasion  she  would  say  the  same  thing  of 
Kate  and  me,  —  for  it  was  such  a  good  time  ! 
We  bought  some  peanuts,  without  which  no 
circus  seems  complete,  and  we  listened  to  the 
conversations  which  were  being  carried  on 
around  us  while  we  were  waiting  for  the 
performance  to  begin.  There  were  two  old 
farmers  whom  we  had  noticed  occasionally  in 
Deephaven ;  one  was  telling  the  other,  with 
great  confusion  of  pronouns,  about  a  big  pig 
which  had  lately  been  killed.  "John  did  feel 
dreadful  disappointed  at  having  to  kill  now," 
we  heard  him  say,  "bein'  as  he  had  calc'lated 


130  DEEPHAVEN 

to  kill  along  near  Thanksgivin'  time ;  there 
was  goin'  to  be  a  new  moon  then,  and  he 
expected  to  get  seventy-five  or  a  hunderd 
pound  more  on  to  him.  But  he  did  n't  seem 
to  gain,  and  me  and  'Bijah  both  told  him 
he  'd  be  better  to  kill  now,  while  everything 
was  favor'ble,  and  if  he  set  out  to  wait  some- 
thing might  happen  to  him,  and  then  I  've 
always  held  that  you  can't  get  no  hog  only 
just  so  fur,  and  for  my  part  I  don't  like 
these  great  overgrown  creatur's.  I  like  well 
enough  to  see  a  hog  that  '11  weigh  six  hun- 
derd, just  for  the  beauty  on  't,  but  for  my 
eatin'  give  me  one  that  '11  just  rise  three. 
'Bijah 's  accurate,  and  he  says  he  is  goin' 
to  weigh  risin'  five  hunderd  and  fifty.  I 
shall  stop,  as  I  go  home,  to  John's  wife's 
brother's  and  see  if  they  've  got  the  particu- 
lars yet ;  John  was  goin'  to  get  the  scales 
this  morning.  I  guess  likely  consider'ble 
many  '11  gather  there  to-morrow  after  meet- 
ing. John  didn't  calc'late  to  cut  up  till 
Monday." 

"  I  guess  likely  I  '11  stop  in  to-morrow," 
said  the  other  man ;  "  I  like  to  see  a  han'- 
some  hog.  Chester  White,  you  said?  Con- 
sider them  best,  don't  ye  ?  "  But  this  ques- 
tion never  was  answered,  for  the  greater  part 


THE   CIRCUS  AT  DENBY  131 

of  the  circus  company  in  gorgeous  trappings 
came  parading  in. 

The  circus  was  like  all  other  circuses,  ex- 
cept that  it  was  shabbier  than  most,  and  the 
performers  seemed  to  have  less  heart  in  it 
than  usual.  They  did  their  best,  and  went 
through  with  their  parts  conscientiously,  but 
they  looked  as  if  they  never  had  had  a  good 
time  in  their  lives.  The  audience  was  hilari- 
ous, and  cheered  and  laughed  at  the  tired 
clown  until  he  looked  as  if  he  thought  his 
speeches  might  possibly  be  funny,  after  all. 
We  were  so  glad  we  had  pleased  the  poor 
thing ;  and  when  he  sang  a  song  our  satis- 
faction was  still  greater,  and  so  he  sang  it 
all  over  again.  Perhaps  he  had  been  asso- 
ciating with  people  who  were  used  to  cir- 
cuses. The  afternoon  was  hot,  and  the  boys 
with  Japanese  fans  and  trays  of  lemonade 
did  a  remarkable  business  for  so  late  in  the 
season  ;  the  brass  band  on  the  other  side  of 
the  tent  shrieked  its  very  best,  and  all  the 
young  men  of  the  region  had  brought  their 
girls,  and  some  of  these  countless  pairs  of 
country  lovers  we  watched  a  great  deal,  as 
they  "  kept  company "  with  more  or  less 
depth  of  satisfaction  in  each  other.  We  had 
a  grand  chance  to  see  the  fashions,  and  there 


132  DEEP HAY EN 

were  many  old  people  and  a  great  number 
of  little  children,  and  some  families  had  evi- 
dently locked  their  house  door  behind  them, 
since  they  had  brought  both  the  dog  and  the 
baby. 

"  Does  n't  it  seem  as  if  you  were  a  child 
again  ?  "  Kate  asked  me.  "  I  am  sure  this  is 
just  the  same  as  the  first  circus  I  ever  saw. 
It  grows  more  and  more  familiar,  and  it  puz- 
zles me  to  think  they  should  not  have  altered 
in  the  least  while  I  have  changed  so  much, 
and  have  even  had  time  to  grow  up.  You 
don't  know  how  it  is  making  me  remember 
other  things  of  which  I  have  not  thought  for 
years.  I  was  seven  years  old  when  I  went 
that  first  time.  Uncle  Jack  invited  me.  I 
had  a  new  parasol,  and  he  laughed  because 
I  would  hold  it  over  my  shoulder  when  the 
sun  was  in  my  face.  He  took  me  into  the 
side-shows  and  bought  me  everything  I  asked 
for,  on  the  way  home,  and  we  did  not  get 
home  until  twilight.  The  rest  of  the  family 
had  dined  at  four  o'clock  and  gone  out  for  a 
long  drive,  and  it  was  such  fun  to  have  our 
dinner  by  ourselves.  I  sat  at  the  head  of  the 
table  in  mamma's  place,  and  when  Bridget 
came  down  and  insisted  that  I  must  go  to 
bed,  Uncle  Jack  came  softly  upstairs  and 


THE    CIRCUS   AT  DENBY  133 

sat  by  the  window,  smoking  and  telling  me 
stories.  He  ran  and  hid  in  the  closet  when 
we  heard  mamma  coming  up,  and  when  she 
found  him  out  by  the  cigar-smoke,  and  made 
believe  scold  him,  I  thought  she  was  in  ear- 
nest, and  begged  him  off.  Yes ;  and  I  re- 
member that  Bridget  sat  in  the  next  room, 
making  her  new  dress  so  she  could  wear  it  to 
church  next  day.  I  thought  it  was  a  beauti- 
ful dress,  and  besought  mamma  to  have  one 
like  it.  It  was  bright  green  with  yellow  spots 
all  over  it,"  said  Kate.  "  Ah,  poor  Uncle 
Jack !  he  was  so  good  to  me !  We  were  al- 
ways telling  stories  of  what  we  would  do 
when  I  was  grown  up.  He  died  in  Canton 
the  next  year,  and  I  cried  myself  ill ;  but  for 
a  long  time  I  thought  he  might  not  be  dead, 
after  all,  and  might  come  home  any  day.  He 
used  to  seem  so  old  to  me,  and  he  really  was 
just  out  of  college  and  not  so  old  as  I  am 
now.  That  day  at  the  circus  he  had  a  pink 
rosebud  in  his  buttonhole,  and  —  ah !  when 
have  I  ever  thought  of  this  before !  —  a  wo- 
man sat  before  us  who  had  a  stiff  little  cape 
on  her  bonnet  like  a  shelf,  and  I  carefully 
put  peanuts  round  the  edge  of  it,  and  when 
she  moved  her  head  they  would  fall.  I 
thought  it  was  the  best  fun  in  the  world, 


134  DEEP HA  YEN 

and  I  wished  Uncle  Jack  to  ride  the  donkey ; 
I  was  sure  he  could  keep  on,  because  his 
horse  had  capered  about  with  him  one  day 
on  Beacon  Street,  and  I  thought  him  a  per- 
fect rider,  since  nothing  had  happened  to 
him  then." 

"I  remember,"  said  Mrs.  Kew  presently, 
"that  just  before  I  was  married  4he'  took 
me  over  to  Wareham  Corners  to  a  caravan. 
My  sister  Hannah  and  the  young  man  who 
was  keeping  company  with  her  went  too.  I 
have  n't  been  to  one  since  till  to-day,  and  it 
does  carry  me  back  same 's  it  does  you,  Miss 
Kate.  It  does  n't  seem  more  than  five  years 
ago,  and  what  would  I  have  thought  if  I  had 
known  '  he '  and  I  were  going  to  keep  a  light- 
house and  be  contented  there,  what 's  more, 
and  sometimes  not  get  ashore  for  a  fortnight; 
settled,  gray-headed  old  folks!  We  were  gay 
enough  in  those  days.  I  know  old  Miss  Sa- 
brina  Smith  warned  me  that  I  'd  better  think 
twice  before  I  took  up  with  Tom  Kew,  for  he 
was  a  light-minded  young  man.  I  speak  o' 
that  to  him  in  the  winter-time,  when  he  sets 
reading  the  almanac  half  asleep  and  I  'm 
knitting,  and  the  wind  's  a-howling  and  the 
waves  coming  ashore  on  those  rocks  as  if  they 
wished  they  could  put  out  the  light  and  blow 


THE   CIRCUS   AT  DENBY  135 

down  the  lighthouse.  We  were  reflected  on  a 
good  deal  for  going  to  that  caravan ;  some 
of  the  old  folks  didn't  think  it  was  im- 
provin'  —  Well,  I  should  think  that  man 
was  a-trying  to  break  his  neck !  " 

Coming  out  of  the  great  tent  was  disagree- 
able enough,  and  we  seemed  to  have  chosen 
the  worst  time,  for  the  crowd  pushed  fiercely, 
though  I  suppose  nobody  was  in  the  least 
hurry,  and  we  were  all  severely  jammed, 
while  from  somewhere  underneath  came  the 
wails  of  a  deserted  dog.  We  had  not  meant 
to  see  the  side-shows,  and  went  carelessly  past 
two  or  three  tents ;  but  when  we  came  in 
sight  of  the  picture  of  the  Kentucky  giant- 
ess, we  noticed  that  Mrs.  Kew  looked  at  it 
wistfully,  and  we  immediately  asked  if  she 
cared  anything  about  going  to  see  the  won- 
der, whereupon  she  confessed  that  she  never 
heard  of  such  a  thing  as  a  woman's  weighing 
six  hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  so  we  all  three 
went  in.  There  were  only  two  or  three  per- 
sons inside  the  tent,  beside  a  little  boy  who 
played  the  hand-organ. 

The  Kentucky  giantess  sat  in  two  chairs 
on  a  platform,  and  there  was  a  large  cage  of 
monkeys  just  beyond,  toward  which  Kate  and 
I  went  at  once.  "  Why,  she  is  n't  more  than 


136  DEEP HAVEN 

two  thirds  as  big  as  the  picture,"  said  Mrs. 
Kew,  in  a  regretful  whisper ;  "  but  I  guess 
she  's  big  enough  ;  does  n't  she  look  discour- 
aged, poor  creatur'  ?  "  Kate  and  I  felt  ashamed 
of  ourselves  for  being  there.  No  matter  if  she 
had  consented  to  be  carried  round  for  a  show, 
it  must  have  been  horrible  to  be  stared  at 
and  joked  about  day  after  day ;  and  we 
gravely  looked  at  the  monkeys,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  turned  to  see  if  Mrs.  Kew  were  not 
ready  to  come  away,  when  to  our  surprise  we 
saw  that  she  was  talking  to  the  giantess  with 
great  interest,  and  we  went  nearer. 

"  I  thought  your  face  looked  natural  the 
minute  I  set  foot  inside  the  door,"  said  Mrs. 
Kew ;  "  but  you  Ve  —  altered  some  since  I 
saw  you,  and  I  could  n't  place  you  till  I 
heard  you  speak.  Why,  you  used  to  be  spare ; 
I  am  amazed,  Marilly !  Where  are  your 
folks?" 

"  I  don't  wonder  you  are  surprised,"  said 
the  giantess.  "  I  was  a  good  ways  from  this 
when  you  knew  me,  was  n't  I  ?  But  father 
he  run  through  with  every  cent  he  had  be- 
fore he  died,  and  'he'  took  to  drink  and  it 
killed  him  after  a  while,  and  then  I  begun 
to  grow  worse  and  worse,  till  I  could  n't  do 
nothing  to  earn  a  dollar,  and  everybody  was 


THE    CIRCUS  AT  DENBY  137 

a-coming  to  see  me,  till  at  last  I  used  to  ask 
'em  ten  cents  apiece,  and  I  scratched  along 
somehow  till  this  man  came  round  and  heard 
of  me,  and  he  offered  me  my  keep  and  good 
pay  to  go  along  with  him.  He  had  another 
giantess  before  me,  but  she  had  begun  to 
fall  away  consider' ble,  so  he  paid  her  off  and 
let  her  go.  This  other  giantess  was  an  awful 
expense  to  him,  she  was  such  an  eater;  now 
I  don't  have  no  great  of  an  appetite," — this 
was  said  plaintively,  —  "  and  he 's  raised  my 
pay  since  I  've  been  with  him  because  we 
did  so  well.  I  took  up  with  his  offer  because 
I  was  nothing  but  a  drag  and  never  will  be. 
I  'm  as  comfortable  as  I  can  be,  but  it 's  a 
pretty  hard  business.  My  oldest  boy  is  able  to 
do  for  himself,  but  he's  married  this  last  year, 
and  his  wife  don't  want  me.  I  don't  know  's 
I  blame  her  either.  It  would  be  something 
like  if  I  had  a  daughter  now ;  but  there,  I  'm 
getting  to  like  travelling  first-rate ;  it  gives 
anybody  a  good  deal  to  think  of." 

"  I  was  asking  the  folks  about  you  when  I 
was  up  home  the  early  part  of  the  summer," 
said  Mrs.  Kew,  "  but  all  they  knew  was  that 
you  were  living  out  in  New  York  State. 
Have  you  been  living  in  Kentucky  long?  I 
saw  it  on  the  picture  outside." 


138  DEEPHAVEN 

"No,"  said  the  giantess,  "that  was  a  pic- 
ture the  man  bought  cheap  from  another 
show  that  broke  up  last  year.  It  says  six 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds,  but  I  don't  weigh 
more  than  four  hundred.  I  have  n't  been 
weighed  for  some  time  past.  Between  you 
and  me  I  don't  weigh  so  much  as  that,  but 
you  must  n't  mention  it,  for  it  would  spoil 
my  reputation,  and  might  hender  my  getting 
another  engagement."  And  then  the  poor 
giantess  lost  her  professional  look  and  tone  as 
she  said,  "  I  believe  I  'd  rather  die  than  grow 
any  bigger.  I  do  lose  heart  sometimes,  and 
wish  I  was  a  smart  woman  and  could  keep 
house.  I  'd  be  smarter  than  ever  I  was  when 
I  had  the  chance ;  I  tell  you  that !  Is  Tom 
along  with  you  ?  " 

"  No.  I  came  with  these  young  ladies, 
Miss  Lancaster  and  Miss  Denis,  who  are 
stopping  over  to  Deephaven  for  the  sum- 
mer." Kate  and  I  turned  as  we  heard  this 
introduction ;  we  were  standing  close  by,  and 
I  am  proud  to  say  that  I  never  saw  Kate 
treat  any  one  more  politely  than  she  did  that 
absurd,  pitiful  creature  with  the  gilt  crown 
and  many  bracelets.  It  was  not  that  she 
said  much,  but  there  was  such  an  exquisite 
courtesy  in  her  manner,  and  an  apparent 


THE   CIRCUS  AT  DENBY  139 

unconsciousness  of  there  being  anything  in 
the  least  surprising  or  uncommon  about  the 
giantess. 

Just  then  a  party  of  people  came  in,  and 
Mrs.  Kew  said  good-by  reluctantly.  "  It  has 
done  me  sights  of  good  to  see  you,"  said  our 
new  acquaintance ;  "  I  was  feeling  down- 
hearted just  before  you  came  in.  I  'm  pleased 
to  see  somebody  that  remembers  me  as  I 
used  to  be."  And  they  shook  hands  in  a  way 
that  meant  a  great  deal,  and  when  Kate  and 
I  said  good-afternoon  the  giantess  looked  at 
us  gratefully,  and  said,  "  I  'm  very  much 
obliged  to  you  for  coming  in,  young  ladies." 

"  Walk  in !  walk  in !  "  the  man  was  shout- 
ing as  we  came  away.  "  Walk  in  and  see 
the  wonder  of  the  world,  ladies  and  gentle- 
men, —  the  largest  woman  ever  seen  in 
America,  —  the  great  Kentucky  giantess  !  " 

"  Would  n't  you  have  liked  to  stay  longer  ?  " 
Kate  asked  Mrs.  Kew  as  we  came  down  the 
street.  But  she  answered  that  it  would  be 
no  satisfaction;  the  people  were  coming  in, 
and  she  would  have  no  chance  to  talk.  "I 
never  knew  her  very  well;  she  is  younger 
than  I,  and  she  used  to  go  to  meeting  where 
I  did,  but  she  lived  five  or  six  miles  from 
our  house.  She 's  had  a  hard  time  of  it,  ac- 


140  DEEPHAVEN 

cording  to  her  account,"  said  Mrs.  Kew. 
"  She  used  to  be  a  dreadful  flighty,  high- 
tempered  girl,  but  she  's  lost  that  now,  I  can 
see  by  her  eyes.  I  was  running  over  in  my 
mind  to  see  if  there  was  anything  I  could 
do  for  her,  but  I  don't  know  as  there  is. 
She  said  the  man  who  hired  her  was  kind. 
I  guess  your  treating  her  so  polite  did  her 
as  much  good  as  anything.  She  used  to  be 
real  ambitious.  I  had  it  on  my  tongue's  end 
to  ask  her  if  she  could  n't  get  a  few  days' 
leave  and  come  out  to  stop  with  me,  but 
I  thought  just  in  time  that  she  'd  sink  the 
dory  in  a  minute.  There!  seeing  her  has 
took  away  all  the  fun,"  said  Mrs.  Kew  rue- 
fully; and  we  were  all  dismal  for  a  while, 
but  at  last,  after  we  were  fairly  started  for 
home,  we  began  to  be  merry  again. 

We  passed  the  Craper  family  whom  we 
had  seen  at  the  store  in  the  morning ;  the 
children  looked  as  stupid  as  ever,  but  the 
father,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  had  been  tempted 
to  drink  more  whiskey  than  was  good  for 
him.  He  had  a  bright  flush  on  his  cheeks, 
and  he  was  flourishing  his  whip,  and  hoarsely 
singing  some  meaningless  tune.  "  Poor  crea- 
ture !  "  said  I,  "  I  should  think  this  day's 
pleasuring  would  kill  him."  "Now,  would  n't 


THE    CIRCUS  AT  DENBY  141 

you  think  so  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Kew  sympathiz- 
ingly ;  "  but  the  truth  is,  you  could  n't  kill 
one  of  those  Crapers  if  you  pounded  him  in 
a  mortar." 

We  had  a  pleasant  drive  home,  and  we 
kept  Mrs.  Kew  to  supper,  and  afterward 
went  down  to  the  shore  to  see  her  set  sail  for 
home.  Mr.  Kew  had  come  in  some  time  be- 
fore, and  had  been  waiting  for  the  moon  to 
rise.  Mrs.  Kew  told  us  that  she  should  have 
enough  to  think  of  for  a  year,  she  had  en- 
joyed the  day  so  much ;  and  we  stood  on  the 
pebbles  watching  the  boat  out  of  the  harbor, 
and  wishing  ourselves  on  board,  it  was  such 
a  beautiful  evening. 

We  went  to  another  show  that  summer, 
the  memory  of  which  will  never  fade.  It  is 
somewhat  impertinent  to  call  it  a  show,  and 
"  public  entertainment "  is  equally  inappro- 
priate, though  we  certainly  were  entertained. 
It  had  been  raining  for  two  or  three  days ; 
the  Deephavenites  spoke  of  it  as  "a  spell  of 
weather."  Just  after  tea,  one  Thursday  even- 
ing, Kate  and  I  went  down  to  the  post-office. 
When  we  opened  the  great  hall  door,  the  salt 
air  was  delicious,  but  we  found  the  town  ap- 
parently wet  through  and  discouraged ;  and 


142  DEEPHA VEN 

though  it  had  almost  stopped  raining  just 
then,  there  was  a  Scotch  inist,  like  a  snow- 
storm with  the  chill  taken  off,  and  the  Chan- 
trey  elms  dripped  hurriedly,  and  creaked 
occasionally  in  the  east  wind. 

"  There  will  not  be  a  cap'n  on  the  wharves 
for  a  week  after  this,"  said  I  to  Kate  ;  "only 
think  of  the  cases  of  rheumatism  ! " 

We  stopped  for  a  few  minutes  at  the  Ca- 
rews',  who  were  as  much  surprised  to  see  us 
as  if  we  had  been  mermaids  out  of  the  sea, 
and  begged  us  to  give  ourselves  something 
warm  to  drink,  and  to  change  our  boots  the 
moment  we  got  home.  Then  we  went  on  to  the 
post-office.  Kate  went  in,  but  stopped,  as  she 
came  out  with  our  letters,  to  read  a  written 
notice  securely  fastened  to  the  grocery  door 
by  four  large  carpet-tacks  with  wide  leathers 
round  their  necks. 

"  Dear,"  said  she  exultantly,  "  there  's  go- 
ing to  be  a  lecture  to-night  in  the  church,  — 
a  free  lecture  on  the  Elements  of  True  Man- 
hood. Would  n't  you  like  to  go  ?  "  And  we 
went. 

We  were  fifteen  minutes  later  than  the 
time  appointed,  and  were  sorry  to  find  that 
the  audience  was  almost  imperceptible.  The 
dampness  had  affected  the  antiquated  lamps 


THE    CIRCUS  AT  DENBY  143 

so  that  those  on  the  walls  and  on  the  front  of 
the  gallery  were  the  dimmest  lights  I  ever 
saw,  and  sent  their  feeble  rays  through  a 
small  space  the  edges  of  which  were  clearly 
defined.  There  were  two  rather  more  ener- 
getic lights  on  the  table  near  the  pulpit, 
where  the  lecturer  sat,  and  as  we  were  in  the 
rear  of  the  church,  we  could  see  the  yellow 
fog  between  ourselves  and  him.  There  were 
fourteen  persons  in  the  audience,  and  we 
were  all  huddled  together  in  a  cowardly  way 
in  the  pews  nearest  the  door  :  three  old  men, 
four  women,  and  four  children,  besides  our- 
selves and  the  sexton,  a  deaf  little  old  man 
with  a  wooden  leg. 

The  children  whispered  noisily,  and  soon, 
to  our  surprise,  the  lecturer  rose  and  began. 
He  bowed,  and  treated  us  with  beautiful  de- 
ference, and  read  his  dreary  lecture  with  en- 
thusiasm. I  wish  I  could  say,  for  his  sake, 
that  it  was  interesting ;  but  I  cannot  tell  a 
lie,  and  it  was  so  long  !  He  went  on  and  on, 
until  it  seemed  as  if  I  had  been  there  ever 
since  I  was  a  little  girl.  Kate  and  I  did  not 
dare  to  look  at  each  other,  and  in  my  desper- 
ation at  feeling  her  quiver  with  laughter,  I 
moved  to  the  other  end  of  the  pew,  knocking 
over  a  big  hymn-book  on  the  way,  which  at- 


144  DEEPHAVEN 

tracted  so  much  attention  that  I  have  seldom 
felt  more  embarrassed  in  my  life.  Kate's 
great  dog  rose  several  times  to  shake  himself 
and  yawn  loudly,  and  then  lie  down  again 
despairingly. 

You  would  have  thought  the  man  was  ad- 
dressing an  enthusiastic  Young  Men's  Chris- 
tian Association.  He  exhorted  with  fervor 
upon  our  duties  as  citizens  and  as  voters,  and 
told  us  a  great  deal  about  George  Washing- 
ton and  Benjamin  Franklin,  whom  he  urged 
us  to  choose  as  our  examples.  He  waited  for 
applause  after  each  of  his  outbursts  of  elo- 
quence, and  presently  went  on  again,  in  no 
wise  disconcerted  at  the  silence,  and  as  if  he 
were  sure  that  he  would  fetch  us  next  time. 
The  rain  began  to  fall  again  heavily,  and  the 
wind  wailed  around  the  meeting-house.  If 
the  lecture  had  been  upon  any  other  subject 
it  would  not  have  been  so  hard  for  KaU  and 
me  to  keep  sober  faces ;  but  it  was  directed 
entirely  toward  young  men,  and  there  was 
not  a  young  man  there. 

The  children  in  front  of  us  mildly  scuffled 
with  each  other  at  one  time,  until  the  one  at 
the  end  of  the  pew  dropped  a  marble,  which 
struck  the  floor  and  rolled  with  a  frightful 
noise  down  the  edge  of  the  aisle  where  there 


THE    CIRCUS   AT  DENBY  145 

was  no  carpet.  The  congregation  instinc- 
tively started  up  to  look  after  it,  but  we  re- 
collected ourselves  and  leaned  back  again  in 
our  places,  while  the  awed  children,  after 
keeping  unnaturally  quiet,  fell  asleep,  and 
tumbled  against  each  other  helplessly.  After 
a  time  the  man  sat  down  and  wiped  his  fore- 
head, looking  well  satisfied;  and  when  we 
were  wondering  whether  we  might  with  pro- 
priety come  away,  he  rose  again,  and  said  it 
was  a  free  lecture,  and  he  thanked  us  for 
our  kind  patronage  on  that  inclement  night ; 
but  in  other  places  which  he  had  visited 
there  had  been  a  contribution  taken  up  for 
the  cause.  It  would,  perhaps,  do  no  harm,  — 
would  the  sexton  — 

But  the  sexton  could  not  have  heard  the 
sound  of  a  cannon  at  that  distance,  and  slum- 
bered on.  Neither  Kate  nor  I  had  any  money, 
except  a  twenty-dollar  bill  in  my  purse,  and 
some  coppers  in  the  pocket  of  her  water- 
proof cloak  which  she  assured  me  she  was 
prepared  to  give ;  but  we  saw  no  signs  of 
the  sexton's  waking,  and  as  one  of  the  wo- 
men kindly  went  forward  to  wake  the  chil- 
dren, we  all  rose  and  came  away. 

After  we  had  made  as  much  fun  and 
laughed  as  long  as  we  pleased  that  night, 


146  DEEPHA YEN 

we  became  suddenly  conscious  of  the  pitiful 
side  of  it  all ;  and  being  anxious  that  every 
one  should  have  the  highest  opinion  of  Deep- 
haven,  we  sent  Tom  Dockum  early  in  the 
morning  with  an  anonymous  note  to  the  lec- 
turer, whom  he  found  without  much  trouble ; 
but  afterward  we  were  disturbed  at  hearing 
that  he  was  going  to  repeat  his  lecture  that 
evening,  —  the  wind  having  gone  round  to 
the  northwest,  —  and  I  have  no  doubt  there 
were  a  good  many  women  able  to  be  out,  and 
that  he  harvested  enough  ten-cent  pieces  to 
pay  his  expenses  without  our  help ;  though 
he  had  particularly  told  us  it  was  for  "  the 
cause,"  the  evening  before,  and  that  ought 
to  have  been  a  consolation. 


GUNNER-FISHING 

ONE  of  the  chief  pleasures  in  Deephaven 
•was  our  housekeeping.  Going  to  market  was 
apt  to  use  up  a  whole  morning,  especially  if 
we  went  to  the  fish-houses.  We  depended 
somewhat  upon  supplies  from  Boston,  but 
sometimes  we  used  to  chase  a  butcher  who 
took  a  drive  in  his  old  canvas-topped  cart 
when  he  felt  like  it,  and  as  for  fish,  there 
were  always  enough  to  be  caught,  even  if  we 
could  not  buy  any.  Our  acquaintances  would 
often  ask  if  we  had  anything  for  dinner  that 
day,  and  would  kindly  suggest  that  some- 
body had  been  boiling  lobsters,  or  that  a  boat 
had  just  come  in  with  some  nice  mackerel, 
or  that  somebody  over  on  the  Ridge  was  cal- 
culating to  kill  a  lamb,  and  we  had  better 
speak  for  a  quarter  in  good  season.  I  am 
afraid  we  were  looked  upon  as  being  in  dan- 
ger of  becoming  epicures,  which  we  certainly 
are  not,  and  we  undoubtedly  roused  a  great 
deal  of  interest  because  we  used  to  eat  mush- 
rooms, which  grew  in  the  suburbs  of  the  town 
in  wild  luxuriance. 

One  morning  Maggie  told  us  that  there 


148  DEEPHA YEN 

was  nothing  in  the  house  for  dinner,  and, 
taking  an  early  start,  we  went  at  once  down 
to  the  store  to  ask  if  the  butcher  had  been 
seen,  but  finding  that  he  had  gone  out  deep- 
sea  fishing  for  two  days,  and  that  when  he 
came  back  he  had  planned  to  kill  a  veal, 
we  left  word  for  a  sufficient  piece  of  the 
doomed  animal  to  be  set  apart  for  our  fam- 
ily, and  strolled  down  to  the  shore  to  see  if 
we  could  find  some  mackerel ;  but  there  was 
not  a  fisherman  in  sight,  and  after  going  to 
all  the  fish-houses  we  concluded  that  we  had 
better  provide  for  ourselves.  We  had  not 
brought  our  own  lines,  but  we  knew  where 
Danny  kept  his,  and  after  finding  a  basket 
of  suitable  size,  and  taking  some  clams  from 
Danny's  bait-tub,  we  went  over  to  the  hull 
of  an  old  schooner  which  was  going  to  pieces 
alongside  one  of  the  ruined  wharves.  We 
looked  down  the  hatchway  into  the  hold,  and 
could  see  the  flounders  and  sculpin  swim- 
ming about  lazily,  and  once  in  a  while  a  lit- 
tle pollock  scooted  down  among  them  imper- 
tinently and  then  disappeared.  "There  is 
that  same  big  flounder  that  we  saw  day  be- 
fore yesterday,"  said  I.  "  I  know  him  because 
one  of  his  fins  is  half  gone.  I  don't  believe 
he  can  get  out,  for  the  hole  in  the  side  of  the 


GUNNER-FISHING  149 

schooner  is  n't  very  wide,  and  it  is  higher  up 
than  flounders  ever  swim.  Perhaps  he  came 
in  when  he  was  young,  and  was  too  lazy  to 
go  out  until  he  was  so  large  he  couldn't. 
Flounders  always  look  so  lazy,  and  as  if  they 
thought  a  great  deal  of  themselves." 

"  I  hope  they  will  think  enough  of  them- 
selves to  keep  away  from  my  hook  this 
morning,"  said  Kate  philosophically,  "  and 
the  sculpin  too.  I  am  going  to  fish  for  cun- 
ners  alone,  and  keep  my  line  short."  And 
she  perched  herself  on  the  quarter,  baited 
her  hook  carefully,  and  threw  it  over,  with 
a  clam-shell  to  call  attention.  I  went  to  the 
rail  at  the  side,  and  we  were  presently  much 
encouraged  by  pulling  up  two  small  cun- 
ners,  and  felt  that  our  prospects  for  dinner 
were  excellent.  Then  I  unhappily  caught 
so  large  a  sculpin  that  it  was  like  pull- 
ing up  an  open  umbrella,  and  after  I  had 
thrown  him  into  the  hold  to  keep  company 
with  the  flounder,  our  usual  good  luck  seemed 
to  desert  us.  It  was  one  of  the  days  when, 
in  spite  of  twitching  the  line  and  using  all 
the  tricks  we  could  think  of,  the  cunners 
would  either  eat  our  bait  or  keep  away  alto- 
gether. Kate  at  last  said  we  must  starve 
unless  we  could  catch  the  big  flounder,  and 


150  DEEPHA YEN 

asked  me  to  drop  my  hook  down  the  hatch- 
way ;  but  it  seemed  almost  too  bad  to  destroy 
his  innocent  happiness.  Just  then  we  heard 
the  noise  of  oars,  and  to  our  delight  saw 
Cap'n  Sands  in  his  dory  just  beyond  the  next 
wharf.  "Any  luck?"  said  he.  "S'pose  ye 
don't  care  anything  about  going  out  this 
morning?" 

"  "We  are  not  amusing  ourselves ;  we  are 
trying  to  catch  some  fish  for  dinner,"  said 
Kate.  "  Could  you  wait  out  by  the  red  buoy 
while  we  get  a  few  more,  and  then  should 
you  be  back  by  noon,  or  are  you  going  for  a 
longer  voyage,  Captain  Sands  ?  " 

"  I  was  going  out  to  Black  Rock  for  cun- 
ners  myself,"  said  the  cap'n.  "  I  should  be 
pleased  to  take  ye,  if  ye  'd  like  to  go."  So 
we  wound  up  our  lines,  and  took  our  basket 
and  clams  and  went  round  to  meet  the  boat. 
I  felt  like  rowing,  and  took  the  oars  while 
Kate  was  mending  her  sinker  and  the  cap'n 
was  busy  with  a  snarled  line. 

"  It 's  pretty  hot,"  said  he  presently,  "  but 
I  see  a  breeze  coming  in,  and  the  clouds 
seem  to  be  thickening ;  I  guess  we  shall  have 
it  cooler  'long  towards  noon.  It  looked  last 
night  as  if  we  were  going  to  have  foul  wea- 
ther, but  the  scud  seemed  to  blow  off,  and  it 


CUNNER-FISHING  151 

was  as  pretty  a  morning  as  ever  I  see.  '  A 
growing  moon  chaws  up  the  clouds,'  my 
gran'ther  used  to  say.  He  was  as  knowing 
about  the  weather  as  anybody  I  ever  come 
across;  'most  always  hit  it  just  about  right. 
Some  folks  lay  all  the  weather  to  the  moon, 
accordin'  to  where  she  quarters,  and  when 
she 's  in  perigee  we  're  going  to  have  this 
kind  of  weather,  and  when  she  's  in  apogee 
she  's  got  to  do  so  and  so  for  sartain ;  but 
gran'ther  he  used  to  laugh  at  all  them  things. 
He  said  it  never  made  no  kind  of  difference, 
and  he  went  by  the  looks  of  the  clouds  and 
the  feel  of  the  air,  and  he  thought  folks 
couldn't  make  no  kind  of  rules  that  held 
good,  that  had  to  do  with  the  moon.  Well, 
he  did  use  to  depend  on  the  moon  some; 
everybody  knows  we  are  n't  so  likely  to  have 
foul  weather  in  a  growing  moon  as  we  be 
when  she  's  waning.  But  some  folks  I  could 
name,  they  can't  do  nothing  without  having 
the  moon's  opinion  on  it.  When  I  went  my 
second  voyage  afore  the  mast  we  was  in  port 
ten  days  at  Cadiz,  and  the  ship  she  needed 
salting  dreadful.  The  mate  kept  telling  the 
captain  how  low  the  salt  was  in  her,  and  we 
was  going  a  long  voyage  from  there,  but  no, 
he  would  n't  have  her  salted  nohow,  because 


152  DEEPHAVEN 

it  was  the  wane  of  the  moon.  He  was  an 
amazing  set  kind  of  man,  the  cap'n  was,  and 
would  have  his  own  way  on  sea  or  shore. 
The  mate  was  his  own  brother,  and  they 
used  to  fight  like  a  cat  and  dog ;  they  owned 
most  of  the  ship  between  'em.  I  was  slush- 
ing the  mizzen-mast,  and  heard  'em  a-dis- 
putin'  about  the  salt.  The  cap'n  was  a  first- 
rate  seaman  and  died  rich,  but  he  was 
dreadful  notional.  I  know  one  time  we  were 
a-lyin'  out  in  the  stream  all  ready  to  weigh 
anchor,  and  everything  was  in  trim,  the  men 
were  up  in  the  rigging  and  a  fresh  breeze 
going  out,  just  what  we  'd  been  waiting  for, 
and  the  word  was  passed  to  take  in  sail  and 
make  everything  fast.  The  men  swore,  and 
everybody  said  the  cap'n  had  had  some  kind 
of  a  warning.  But  that  night  it  began  to 
blow,  and  I  tell  you  afore  morning  we  were 
glad  enough  we  were  in  harbor.  The  old 
Victor  she  dragged  her  anchor,  and  the  fore- 
to'-gallant  sail  and  r'yal  got  loose  somehow 
and  was  blown  out  of  the  bolt-ropes.  Most 
of  the  canvas  and  rigging  was  old,  but  we 
had  first-rate  weather  after  that,  and  did  n't 
bend  near  all  the  new  sail  we  had  aboard, 
though  the  cap'n  was  most  afraid  we  'd  come 
short  when  we  left  Boston.  That  was  'most 


CUNNER-FISHING  153 

sixty  year  ago,"  said  the  captain  reflec- 
tively. "  How  time  does  slip  away !  You 
young  folks  haven't  any  idea.  She  was  a 
first-rate  ship,  the  old  Victor  was,  though  I 
suppose  she  would  n't  cut  much  of  a  dash 
now  'longside  of  some  of  the  new  clippers. 

"  There  used  to  be  some  strange-looking 
crafts  in  those  days  ;  there  was  the  old  brig 
Hannah.  They  used  to  say  she  would  sail 
backwards  as  fast  as  forwards,  and  she  was 
so  square  in  the  bows,  they  used  to  call  her 
the  sugar-box.  She  was  master  old,  the  Han- 
nah was,  and  there  was  n't  a  port  from  here 
to  New  Orleans  where  she  was  n't  known  ; 
she  used  to  carry  a  master  cargo  for  her  size, 
more  than  some  ships  that  ranked  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  ton,  and  she  was  put  down  for 
two  hundred.  She  used  to  make  good  voyages, 
the  Hannah  did,  and  then  there  was  the 
Pactolus;  she  was  just  about  such  another, — 
you  would  have  laughed  to  see  her.  She  sailed 
out  of  this  port  for  a  good  many  years.  Cap'n 
Wall  he  told  me  that  if  he  had  her  before 
the  wind  with  a  cargo  of  cotton,  she  would 
make  a  middling  good  run,  but  load  her  deep 
with  salt,  and  you  might  as  well  try  to  sail 
a  stick  of  oak  timber  with  a  handkerchief. 
She  was  a  stout  -  built  ship  :  I  should  n't 


154  DEEPHAVEN 

wonder  if  her  timbers  were  afloat  somewhere 
yet;  she  was  sold  to  some  parties  out  in 
San  Francisco.  There !  everything  's  changed 
from  what  it  was  when  I  used  to  follow  the 
sea.  I  wonder  sometimes  if  the  sailors  have 
as  queer  works  aboard  ship  as  they  used. 
Bless  ye !  Deephaven  used  to  be  a  different 
place  to  what  it  is  now ;  there  was  hardly 
a  day  in  the  year  that  you  did  n  't  hear  the 
shipwrights'  hammers,  and  there  was  always 
something  going  on  at  the  wharves.  You 
would  see  the  folks  from  up  country  comin'  in 
with  their  loads  of  oak  knees  and  plank,  and 
logs  o'  rock-maple  for  keels  when  there  was 
snow  on  the  ground  in  winter-time,  and  the 
big  sticks  of  timber -pine  for  masts  would 
come  crawling  along  the  road  with  their 
three  and  four  yoke  of  oxen  all  frosted  up, 
the  sleds  creaking  and  the  snow  growling 
and  the  men  flapping  their  arms  to  keep 
warm,  and  hallooing  as  if  there  wa'n't  nothin' 
else  goin'  on  in  the  world  except  to  get  them 
masts  to  the  ship-yard.  Bless  ye !  two  o' 
them  teams  together  would  stretch  from  here 
'most  up  to  the  Widow  Jim's  place,  —  no 
such  timber-pines  nowadays." 

"  I  suppose  the  sailors  are  very  jolly  to- 
gether sometimes,"  said  Kate  meditatively, 


CUNNER-FISHING  155 

with  the  least  flicker  of  a  smile  at  me.  The 
captain  did  not  answer  for  a  minute,  as  he 
was  battling  with  an  obstinate  snarl  in  his 
line  ;  but  when  he  had  found  the  right  loop 
he  said,  "  I  've  had  the  best  times  and  the 
hardest  times  of  my  life  at  sea,  that 's  cer- 
tain !  I  was  just  thinking  it  over  when  you 
spoke.  I  '11  tell  you  some  stories  one  day  or 
'nother  that  '11  please  you.  Land  !  you  've  no 
idea  what  tricks  some  of  those  wild  fellows 
will  be  up  to.  Now,  saying  they  fetch  home 
a  cargo  of  wines  and  they  want  a  drink ; 
they  Ve  got  a  trick  so  they  can  get  it.  Say- 
ing it 's  champagne,  they  '11  fetch  up  a  bas- 
ket, and  how  do  you  suppose  they  '11  get 
into  it?" 

Of  course  we  did  n't  know. 

"  Well,  every  basket  will  be  counted,  and 
they  're  fastened  up  particular,  so  they  can 
tell  in  a  minute  if  they  've  been  tampered 
with ;  and  neither  must  you  draw  the  corks 
if  you  could  get  the  basket  open.  I  suppose 
ye  may  have  seen  champagne,  how  it 's  all 
wired  and  waxed.  Now,  they  take  a  clean 
tub,  them  fellows  do,  and  just  shake  the 
basket  and  jounce  it  up  and  down  till  they 
break  the  bottles  and  let  the  wine  drain  out ; 
then  they  take  it  down  in  the  hold  and  put 


156  DEEPBAVEN 

it  back  with  the  rest,  and  when  the  cargo  is 
delivered  there 's  only  one  or  two  whole  bot- 
tles in  that  basket,  and  there  's  a  dreadful 
fuss  about  it 's  being  stowed  so  foolish."  The 
captain  told  this  with  an  air  of  great  satis- 
faction, but  we  did  not  show  the  least  sus- 
picion that  he  might  have  assisted  at  some 
such  festivity. 

"  Then  they  have  a  way  of  breaking  into 
a  cask.  It  won't  do  to  start  the  bung,  and  it 
won't  do  to  bore  a  hole  where  it  can  be  seen, 
but  they  're  up  to  that :  they  slip  back  one 
of  the  end  hoops  and  bore  two  holes  under- 
neath it,  one  for  the  air  to  go  in  and  one  for 
the  liquor  to  come  out,  and  after  they  get  all 
out  they  want  they  put  in  some  spigots  and 
cut  them  down  close  to  the  stave,  knock  back 
the  hoop  again,  and  there  ye  are,  all  trig." 

"  I  never  should  have  thought  of  it,"  said 
Kate  admiringly. 

"  There  is  n't  nothing,"  Cap'n  Sands  went 
on,  "  that  '11  hender  some  masters  from  cheat- 
ing the  owners  a  little.  Get  them  off  in  a 
foreign  port,  and  there  's  nobody  to  watch, 
and  they  most  of  them  have  a  feeling  that 
they  ain't  getting  full  pay,  and  they  '11 
charge  things  to  the  ship  that  she  never  seen 
nor  heard  of.  There  were  two  shipmasters 


GUNNER-FISHING  157 

that  sailed  out  of  Salem.  I  heard  one  of  'em 
tell  the  story.  They  had  both  come  into  port 
from  Liverpool  nigh  the  same  time,  and  one 
of  'em,  he  was  dressed  up  in  a  handsome  suit 
of  clothes,  and  the  other  looked  kind  of 
poverty -struck.  '  Where  did  you  get  them 
clothes  ?  '  says  he.  *  Why,  to  Liverpool,'  says 
the  other ;  *  you  don't  mean  to  say  you  come 
away  without  none,  cheap  as  cloth  was  there? ' 
'  Why,  yes,'  says  the  other  cap'n,  —  *  I  can't 
afford  to  wear  such  elothes  as  those  be,  and  I 
don't  see  how  you  can,  either.'  4  Charge,  'em 
to  the  ship,  bless  ye  ;  the  owners  expect  it.' 

"  So  the  next  v'y'ge  the  poor  cap'n  he  had 
a  nice  rig  for  himself  made  to  the  best  tailor's 
in  Bristol,  and  charged  it,  say  ten  pounds,  in 
the  ship's  account ;  and  when  he  came  home 
the  ship's  husband  he  was  looking  over  the 
papers,  and  '  What 's  this  ? '  says  he,  *  how 
come  the  ship  to  run  up  a  tailor's  bill?' 
'  Why,  them 's  mine,'  says  the  cap'n,  very 
meaching.  '  I  onderstood  that  there  would  n't 
be  no  objection  made.'  'Well,  you  made 
a  mistake,'  says  the  other,  laughing ;  '  guess 
I  'd  better  scratch  this  out.'  And  it  was  n't 
long  before  the  cap'n  met  the  one  who  had 
put  him  up  to  doing  it,  and  he  give  him  a 
blowing  up  for  getting  him  into  such  a  fix. 


158  DEEP  HAVEN 

'  Land  sakes  alive ! '  says  he,  '  were  you  fool 
enough  to  set  it  down  in  the  account  ?  Why, 
I  put  mine  in,  so  many  bolts  of  Russia  duck.'  " 

Captain  Sands  seemed  to  enjoy  this  remi- 
niscence, and  to  our  satisfaction,  in  a  few  min- 
utes, after  he  had  offered  to  take  the  oars,  he 
went  on  to  tell  us  another  story. 

"  Why,  as  for  cheating,  there  's  plenty  of 
that  all  over  the  world.  The  first  v'y'ge  I 
went  into  Havana  as  master  of  the  Deer- 
hound,  she  had  never  been  in  the  port  before 
and  had  to  be  measured  and  recorded,  and 
then  pay  her  tonnage  duties  every  time  she 
went  into  port  there  afterward,  according  to 
what  she  was  registered  on  the  custom-house 
books.  The  inspector  he  come  aboard,  and  he 
went  below  and  looked  round,  and  he  mea- 
sured her  between  decks ;  but  he  never  offered 
to  set  down  any  figgers,  and  when  we  came 
back  into  the  cabin,  says  he,  '  Yes  —  yes  — 
good  ship !  you  put  on  one  doubloon  front 
of  this  eye,  so  / '  says  he,  '  an'  I  not  see  with 
him ;  and  you  put  one  more  doubloon  front 
of  other  eye,  and  how  you  think  I  see  at  all 
what  figger  you  write  ?  '  So  I  took  his  book 
and  I  set  down  her  measurements  and  made 
her  out  twenty  ton  short,  and  he  took  his 
doubloons  and  shoved  'em  into  his  pocket. 


GUNNER-FISHING  159 

There,  it  is  n't  what  you  call  straight  deal- 
ing, but  everybody  done  it  that  dared,  and 
you  'd  eat  up  all  the  profits  of  a  v'y'ge  and 
the  owners  would  just  as  soon  you'd  try  a 
little  up-country  air,  if  you  paid  all  those 
dues  according  to  law.  Tonnage  was  dread- 
ful high  and  wharfage  too,  in  some  ports, 
and  they  'd  get  your  last  cent  some  way  or 
'nother  if  ye  were  n't  sharp. 

"  Old  Cap'n  Carew,  uncle  to  them  ye  see  to 
meeting,  did  a  smart  thing  in  the  time  of  the 
embargo.  Folks  got  tired  of  it,  and  it  was 
dreadful  hard  times;  ships  rotting  at  the 
wharves,  and  Deephaven  never  was  quite  the 
same  afterward,  though  the  old  place  held 
out  for  a  good  while  before  she  let  go  as  ye 
see  her  now.  You  'd  'a'  had  a  hard  grip  on  't 
when  I  was  a  young  man  to  make  me  believe 
it  would  ever  be  so  dull  here.  Well,  Cap'n 
Carew  he  bought  an  old  brig  that  was  lying 
over  by  East  Parish,  and  he  began  fitting  her 
up  and  loading  her  for  the  West  Indies,  and 
the  farmers  they  'd  come  in  there  by  night 
from  all  round  the  country,  to  sell  salt-fish 
and  lumber  and  potatoes,  and  glad  enough 
they  were,  I  tell  ye.  The  rigging  was  put  in 
order,  and  it  was  n't  long  before  she  was  ready 
to  sail,  and  it  was  all  kept  mighty  quiet.  She 


160  DEEPHAVEN 

lay  up  to  an  old  wharf  in  a  cove  where  she 
would  n't  be  much  noticed,  and  they  took  care 
not  to  paint  her  any  or  to  attract  any  atten- 
tion. 

•*  One  day  Cap'n  Carew  was  over  in  River- 
port  dining  out  with  some  gentlemen,  and 
the  revenue  officer  sat  next  to  him,  and  by 
and  by  says  he,  *  Why  won't  ye  take  a  ride 
with  me  this  afternoon  ?  I  've  had  warning 
that  there  's  a  brig  loading  for  the  West  In- 
dies over  beyond  Deephaven  somewheres,  and 
I  'm  going  over  to  seize  her.'  And  he  laughed 
to  himself  as  if  he  expected  fun,  and  some- 
thing in  his  pocket  beside.  Well,  the  first 
minute  that  Cap'n  Carew  dared,  after  din- 
ner, he  slipped  out,  and  he  hired  the  swiftest 
horse  in  Riverport  and  rode  for  dear  life,  and 
told  the  folks  who  were  in  the  secret,  and 
some  who  were  n't,  what  was  the  matter, 
and  every  soul  turned  to  and  helped  finish 
loading  her  and  getting  the  rigging  ready 
and  the  water  aboard  ;  but  just  as  they  were 
leaving  the  cove  —  the  wind  was  blowing  just 
right  —  along  came  the  revenue  officer  with 
two  or  three  men,  and  they  come  off  in  a  boat 
and  boarded  her  as  important  as  could  be. 

" '  Won't  ye  step  into  the  cabin,  gentlemen, 
and  take  a  glass  o'  wine  ? '  says  Cap'n  Carew, 


GUNNER-FISHING  161 

very  polite ;  and  the  wind  came  in  fresher,  — 
something  like  a  squall  for  a  few  minutes,  — 
and  the  men  had  the  sails  spread  before  you 
could  say  Jack  Robi'son,  and  before  those 
fellows  knew  what  they  were  about  the  old 
brig  was  a-standing  out  to  sea,  and  the  folks 
on  the  wharves  cheered  and  yelled.  The 
Cap'n  gave  the  officers  a  good  scare  and 
offered  'em  a  free  passage  to  the  West  In- 
dies, and  finally  they  said  they  would  n't 
report  at  headquarters  if  he  'd  let  'em  go 
ashore ;  so  he  told  the  sailors  to  lower  their 
boat  about  two  miles  off  Deephaven,  and  they 
pulled  ashore  meek  enough.  Cap'n  Carew 
had  a  first-rate  run,  and  made  a  lot  of  money, 
so  I  have  heard  it  said.  Bless  ye !  every  ship- 
master would  have  done  just  the  same  if 
he  had  dared,  and  everybody  was  glad  when 
they  heard  about  it.  Dreadful  foolish  piece 
of  business  that  embargo  was ! 

"  Now  I  declare,"  said  Captain  Sands, 
after  he  had  finished  this  narrative,  "  here 
I  'm  a-telling  stories  and  you  're  doin'  all  the 
work.  You  '11  pull  a  boat  ahead  of  anybody, 
if  you  keep  on.  Tom  Kew  was  a-praisin'  up 
both  of  you  to  me  the  other  day :  says  he, 
*  They  don't  put  on  no  airs,  but  I  tell  ye 
they  can  pull  a  boat  well,  and  swim  like  fish,' 


1G2  DEEPHA YEN 

says  he.  There  now,  if  you'll  give  me  the 
oars  I  '11  put  the  dory  just  where  I  want  her, 
and  you  can  be  getting  your  lines  ready.  I 
know  a  place  here  where  it 's  always  toler'ble 
fishing,  and  I  guess  we  '11  get  something." 

Kate  and  I  cracked  our  clams  on  the  gun- 
wale of  the  boat,  and  cut  them  into  nice  little 
bits  for  bait  with  a  piece  of  the  shell,  and  by 
the  time  the  captain  had  thrown  out  the  kil- 
lick  we  were  ready  to  begin,  and  found  the 
fishing  much  more  exciting  than  it  had  been 
at  the  wharf. 

"  I  don't  know  as  I  ever  see  'em  bite 
faster,"  said  the  old  sailor  presently ;  "  guess 
it 's  because  they  like  the  folks  that 's  fish- 
ing. Well,  I  'm  pleased.  I  thought  I  'd  let 
'Bijah  take  some  along  to  Denby  in  the  cart 
to-morrow  if  I  got  more  than  I  could  use  at 
home.  I  did  n't  calc'late  on  having  such  a 
lively  crew  aboard.  I  s'pose  ye  would  n't 
care  about  going  out  a  little  further  by  and 
by  to  see  if  we  can't  get  two  or  three  had- 
dock?" And  we  answered  that  we  should 
like  nothing  better. 

It  was  growing  cloudy,  and  was  much 
cooler,  —  the  perfection  of  a  day  for  fishing, 
—  and  we  sat  there  diligently  pulling  in 
cunners,  and  talking  a  little  once  in  a  while. 


GUNNER-FISHING  163 

The  tide  was  nearly  out,  and  Black  Rock 
looked  almost  large  enough  to  be  called  an 
island.  The  sea  was  smooth  and  the  low 
waves  broke  lazily  among  the  seaweed-cov- 
ered ledges,  while  our  boat  swayed  about  on 
the  water,  lifting  and  falling  gently  as  the 
waves  went  in  shore.  We  were  not  a  very 
long  way  from  the  lighthouse,  and  once  we 
could  see  Mrs.  Kew's  big  white  apron  as  she 
stood  in  the  doorway  for  a  few  minutes. 
There  was  no  noise  except  the  plash  of  the 
low-tide  waves  and  the  occasional  flutter  of 
a  fish  in  the  bottom  of  the  dory.  Kate  and 
I  always  killed  our  fish  at  once  by  a  rap  on 
the  head,  for  it  certainly  saved  the  poor  crea- 
tures much  discomfort,  and  ourselves  as  well, 
and  it  made  it  easier  to  take  them  off  the 
hook  than  if  they  were  flopping  about  and 
making  us  aware  of  our  cruelty. 

Suddenly  the  captain  wound  up  his  line 
and  said  he  thought  we  'd  better  be  going  in, 
and  Kate  and  I  looked  at  him  with  surprise. 
"  It  is  only  half  past  ten,"  said  I,  looking  at 
my  watch.  "  Don't  hurry  in  on  our  account," 
added  Kate  persuasively,  for  we  were  hav- 
ing a  very  good  time. 

"  I  guess  we  won't  mind  about  the  had- 
dock. I  've  got  a  feelin'  we  'd  better  go 


164  DEEPS AV EN 

ashore."  And  he  looked  up  into  the  sky  and 
turned  to  see  the  west.  "  I  knew  there  was 
something  the  matter ;  there  's  going  to  be 
a  shower."  And  we  looked  behind  us  to 
see  a  bank  of  heavy  clouds  coming  over 
fast.  "  I  wish  we  had  two  pair  of  oars,"  said 
Captain  Sands.  "I'm  afraid  we  shall  get 
caught." 

"  You  need  n't  mind  us,"  said  Kate.  "We 
are  n't  in  the  least  afraid  of  our  clothes,  and 
we  don't  get  cold  when  we  're  wet ;  we  have 
made  sure  of  that." 

'*  Well,  I  'm  glad  to  hear  that,"  said  the 
cap'n.  "  Women-folks  are  apt  to  be  dread- 
ful scared  of  a  wetting  ;  but  I  'd  just  as  lief 
not  get  wet  myself.  I  had  a  twinge  of  rheu- 
matism yesterday.  I  guess  we  '11  get  ashore 
fast  enough.  No.  I  feel  well  enough  to-day, 
but  you  can  row  if  you  want  to,  and  I  '11  take 
the  oars  the  last  part  of  the  way." 

When  we  reached  the  moorings  the  clouds 
were  black,  and  the  thunder  rattled  and 
boomed  over  the  sea,  while  heavy  spatters 
of  rain  were  already  falling.  We  did  not  go 
to  the  wharves,  but  stopped  down  the  shore 
at  the  fish-houses,  the  nearer  place  of  shelter. 
"You  just  select  some  of  those  cunners," 
said  the  captain,  who  was  beginning  to  be  a 


GUNNER-FISHING  165 

little  out  of  breath,  "  and  then  you  can  run 
right  up  and  get  under  cover,  and  I  '11  put 
a  bit  of  old  sail  over  the  rest  of  the  fish  to 
keep  the  fresh  water  off."  By  the  time  the 
boat  touched  the  shore  and  we  had  pulled  it 
up  on  the  pebbles,  the  rain  had  begun  in 
good  earnest.  Luckily  there  was  a  barrow 
lying  near,  and  we  loaded  that  in  a  hurry, 
and  just  then  the  captain  caught  sight  of  a 
well-known  red  shirt  in  an  open  door,  and 
shouted,  "  Halloa,  Danny !  lend  us  a  hand 
with  these  fish,  for  we  're  nigh  on  to  being 
shipwrecked."  And  then  we  ran  up  to  the 
fish-house  and  waited  a  while,  though  we  stood 
in  the  doorway  watching  the  lightning,  and 
there  were  so  many  leaks  in  the  roof  that 
we  might  almost  as  well  have  been  out  of 
doors.  It  was  one  of  Danny's  quietest  days, 
and  he  silently  beheaded  hake,  only  winking 
at  us  once  very  gravely  at  something  our 
other  companion  said. 

"  There! "  said  Captain  Sands,  "folks  may 
say  what  they  have  a  mind  to ;  I  did  n't  see 
that  shower  coming  up,  and  I  know  as  well 
as  I  want  to  that  my  wife  did,  and  impressed 
it  on  my  mind.  Our  house  sets  high,  and  she 
watches  the  sky  and  is  al'ays  a-worrying 
when  I  go  out  fishing  for  fear  something  's 


166  DEEPHA YEN 

going  to  happen  to  me,  'specially  sence  I  've 
got  to  be  along  in  years." 

This  was  just  what  Kate  and  I  wished  to 
hear,  for  we  had  been  told  that  Captain 
Sands  had  most  decided  opinions  on  dreams 
and  other  mysteries,  and  could  tell  some 
stories  which  were  considered  incredible  by 
even  a  Deephaven  audience,  to  whom  the 
marvellous  was  of  every-day  occurrence. 

"  Then  it  has  happened  before  ?  "  asked 
Kate.  "  I  wondered  why  you  started  so  sud- 
denly to  come  in." 

"Happened!"  said  the  captain.  "Bless 
ye,  yes !  I  '11  tell  you  my  views  about  these 
p'ints  one  o'  these  days.  I  've  thought  a  good 
deal  about  'em  by  spells.  Not  that  I  can  ex- 
plain 'em,  nor  anybody  else,  but  it 's  no  use 
to  laugh  at  'em  as  some  folks  do.  Cap'n 
Lant  —  you  know  Cap'n  Lant  ?  —  he  and  I 
have  talked  it  over  considerable,  and  he  says 
to  me,  '  Everybody  's  got  some  story  of  the 
kind  they  will  believe  in  spite  of  everything, 
and  yet  they  won't  believe  yourn.'  " 

The  shower  seemed  to  be  over  now,  and 
we  felt  compelled  to  go  home,  as  the  cap- 
tain did  not  go  on  with  his  remarks.  I  hope 
he  did  not  see  Danny's  wink.  Skipper  Scud- 
der,  who  was  Danny's  friend  and  partner, 


CUNNER-FISHING  167 

came  up  just  then  and  asked  us  if  we  knew 
what  the  sign  was  when  the  sun  came  out 
through  the  rain.  I  said  that  I  had  always 
heard  it  would  rain  again  next  day.  "  O 
no,"  said  Skipper  Scudder,  "  the  Devil  is 
whipping  his  wife." 

After  dinner  Kate  and  I  went  for  a  walk 
through  some  pine  woods  which  were  beau- 
tiful after  the  rain ;  the  mosses  and  lichens 
which  had  been  dried  up  were  all  freshened 
and  blooming  out  in  the  dampness.  The 
smell  of  the  wet  pitch-pines  was  unusually 
sweet,  and  we  wandered  about  for  an  hour 
or  two  there,  to  find  some  ferns  we  wanted, 
and  then  walked  over  toward  East  Parish, 
and  home  by  the  long  beach  late  in  the 
afternoon.  We  came  as  far  as  the  boat-land- 
ing, meaning  to  go  home  through  the  lane, 
but  to  our  delight  we  saw  Captain  Sands 
sitting  alone  on  an  old  overturned  whale- 
boat,  whittling  busily  at  a  piece  of  dried 
kelp.  *'  Good  -  evenin',"  said  our  friend 
cheerfully.  And  we  explained  that  we  had 
taken  a  long  walk  and  thought  we  would 
rest  a  while  before  we  went  home  to  supper. 
Kate  perched  herself  on  the  boat,  and  I  sat 
down  on  a  ship's  knee  which  lay  on  the  peb- 
bles. 


168  DEEP HAVEN 

"  Did  n't  get  any  hurt  from  being  out  in 
the  shower,  I  hope  ?  " 

"No,  indeed,"  laughed  Kate,  "and  we 
had  such  a  good  time.  I  hope  you  won't 
mind  taking  us  out  again  some  time." 

"Bless  ye!  no,"  said  the  captain.  "My 
girl  Lo'isa,  she  that 's  Mis'  Winslow  over  to 
Riverport,  used  to  go  out  with  me  a  good 
deal,  and  it  seemed  natural  to  have  you 
aboard.  I  missed  Lo'isa  after  she  got  mar- 
ried, for  she  was  al'ays  ready  to  go  anywhere 
'long  of  father.  She  's  had  slim  health  of 
late  years.  I  tell  'em  she  's  been  too  much 
shut  up  out  of  the  fresh  air  and  sun.  When 
she  was  young  her  mother  never  could  pr'vail 
on  her  to  set  in  the  house  stiddy  and  sew, 
and  she  used  to  have  great  misgivin's  that 
Lo'isa  never  was  going  to  be  capable.  How 
about  those  fish  you  caught  this  morning? 
good,  were  they  ?  Mis'  Sands  had  dinner  on 
the  stocks  when  I  got  home,  and  she  said 
she  would  n't  fry  any  till  supper-time ;  but 
I  calc'lated  to  have  'em  this  noon.  I  like  'em 
best  right  out  o'  the  water.  Little  more  and 
we  should  have  got  them  wet.  That 's  one 
of  my  whims;  I  can  't  bear  to  let  fish  get 
rained  on." 

"  O  Captain  Sands !  "  said  I,  there  being 


CUNNER-FISHING  169 

a  convenient  pause,  "you  were  speaking  of 
your  wife  just  now;  did  you  ask  her  if  she 
saw  the  shower  ?  " 

"  First  thing  she  spoke  of  when  I  got  into 
the  house.  *  There,'  says  she,  *  I  was  afraid 
you  would  n't  see  the  rain  coming  in  time, 
and  I  had  my  heart  in  my  mouth  when  it 
began  to  thunder.  I  thought  you'd  get  soaked 
through,  and  be  laid  up  for  a  fortnight,'  says 
she.  '  I  guess  a  summer  shower  won't  hurt 
an  old  sailor  like  me,'  says  I."  And  the  cap- 
tain reached  for  another  piece  of  his  kelp- 
stalk,  and  whittled  away  more  busily  than 
ever.  Kate  took  out  her  knife  and  also  be- 
gan to  cut  kelp,  and  I  threw  pebbles  in  the 
hope  of  hitting  a  spider  which  sat  compla- 
cently on  a  stone  not  far  away,  and  when  he 
suddenly  vanished  there  was  nothing  for  me 
to  do  but  to  whittle  kelp  also. 

"  Do  you  suppose,"  said  Kate,  "  that  Mrs. 
Sands  really  made  you  know  about  that 
shower?" 

The  captain  put  on  his  most  serious  look, 
coughed  slowly,  and  moved  himself  a  few 
inches  nearer  us,  along  the  boat.  I  think  he 
fully  understood  the  importance  and  solem- 
nity of  the  subject.  "  It  ain't  for  us  to  say 
what  we  do  know  or  don't,  for  there  's  no- 


170  DEEPHAVEN 

thing  sartain.  but  I  made  up  my  mind  long 
ago  that  there  's  something  about  these  p'ints 
that 's  myster'ous.  My  wife  and  me  will  be 
sitting  there  to  home  and  there  won't  be  no 
word  between  us  for  an  hour,  and  then  of  a 
sudden  we  '11  speak  up  about  the  same  thing. 
Now  the  way  I  view  it,  she  either  puts  it 
into  my  head  or  I  into  hers.  I  've  spoke  up 
lots  of  times  about  something,  when  I  did  n't 
know  what  I  was  going  to  say  when  I  began, 
and  she  '11  say  she  was  just  thinking  of  that. 
Like  as  not  you  have  noticed  it  sometimes  ? 
There  was  something  my  mind  was  dwellin' 
on  yesterday,  and  she  come  right  out  with 
it,  and  I  'd  a  good  deal  rather  she  had  n't," 
said  the  captain  ruefully.  "  I  did  n't  want 
to  rake  it  all  over  ag'in,/'m  sure."  And  then 
he  recollected  himself,  and  was  silent,  which 
his  audience  must  confess  to  have  regretted 
for  a  moment. 

"  I  used  to  think  a  good  deal  about  such 
things  when  I  was  younger,  and  I  'm  free  to 
say  I  took  more  stock  in  dreams  and  such 
like  than  I  do  now.  I  rec'lect  old  Parson 
Lorimer  —  this  Parson  Lorimer's  father  who 
was  settled  here  first  —  spoke  to  me  once 
about  it,  and  said  it  was  a-tempting  of  Provi- 
dence, and  that  we  had  n't  no  right  to  pry 


C  UNNER-FISHING  171 

into  secrets.  I  know  I  had  a  dream-book 
then  that  I  picked  up  in  a  shop  in  Bristol 
once  when  I  was  in  there  on  the  Ranger,  and 
all  the  young  folks  were  beset  to  get  sight  of 
it.  I  see  what  fools  it  made  of  folks,  bother- 
ing their  heads  about  such  things,  and  I 
pretty  much  let  them  go :  all  this  stuff  about 
spirit-rappings  is  enough  to  make  a  man 
crazy.  You  don't  get  no  good  by  it.  I  come 
across  a  paper  once  with  a  lot  of  letters  in  it 
from  sperits,  and  I  cast  my  eye  over  'em,  and 
I  says  to  myself,  *  Well,  I  always  was  given 
to  understand  that  when  we  come  to  a  f  utur' 
state  we  was  goin'  to  have  more  wisdom  than 
we  can  get  afore ' ;  but  them  letters  had  n't 
any  more  sense  to  'em,  nor  so  much,  as  a  man 
could  write  here  without  schooling,  and  I 
should  think  that  if  the  letters  be  all  straight, 
if  the  folks  who  wrote  'em  had  any  kind  of 
ambition  they  'd  want  to  be  movin'  back  here 
again.  But  as  for  one  person's  having  some- 
thing to  do  with  another  any  distance  off, 
why,  that 's  another  thing ;  there  ain't  any 
nonsense  about  that.  I  know  it 's  true  jest  as 
well  as  I  want  to,"  said  the  cap'n,  warming 
up.  "  I  '11  tell  ye  how  I  was  led  to  make  up 
my  mind  about  it.  One  time  I  waked  a  man 
up  out  of  a  sound  sleep  looking  at  him,  and  it 


172  DEEPHAVEN 

set  me  to  thinking.  First,  there  was  n't  any 
noise,  and  then  ag'in  there  was  n't  any  touch 
so  he  could  feel  it,  and  I  says  to  myself, 
*  Why  could  n't  I  ha'  done  it  the  width  of  two 
rooms  as  well  as  one,  and  why  could  n't  I  ha' 
done  it  with  my  back  turned  ? '  It  could  n't 
have  been  the  looking  so  much  as  the  think- 
ing. And  then  I  car'd  it  further,  and  I  says, 
4  Why  ain't  a  mile  as  good  as  a  yard  ?  and 
it 's  the  thinking  that  does  it,'  says  I,  '  and 
we  've  got  some  faculty  or  other  that  we  don't 
know  much  about.  We  've  got  some  way  of 
sending  our  thought  like  a  bullet  goes  out 
of  a  gun  and  it  hits.  We  don't  know  nothing 
except  what  we  see.  And  some  folks  is  scared, 
and  some  more  thinks  it  is  all  nonsense  and 
laughs.  But  there  's  something  we  have  n't 
got  the  hang  of.'  It  makes  me  think  o'  them 
little  black  polliwogs  that  turns  into  frogs 
in  the  fresh -water  puddles  in  the  ma'sh. 
There  's  a  time  before  their  tails  drop  off  and 
their  legs  have  sprouted  out,  when  they  don't 
get  any  use  o'  their  legs,  and  I  dare  say 
they  're  in  their  way  consider'ble ;  but  after 
they  get  to  be  frogs  they  find  out  what  they  're 
for  without  no  kind  of  trouble.  I  guess 
we  shall  turn  these  fac'lties  to  account  some 
time  or  'nother.  Seems  to  me,  though,  that 


GUNNER-FISHING  173 

we  might  depend  on  'em  now  more  than 
we  do." 

The  captain  was  under  full  sail  on  what  we 
had  heard  was  his  pet  subject,  and  it  was  a 
great  satisfaction  to  listen  to  what  he  had  to 
say.  It  loses  a  great  deal  in  being  written, 
for  the  old  sailor's  voice  and  gestures  and 
thorough  earnestness  all  carried  no  little  per- 
suasion. And  it  was  impossible  not  to  be  sure 
that  he  knew  more  than  people  usually  do 
about  these  mysteries  in  which  he  delighted. 

"Now,  how  can  you  account  for  this?" 
said  he.  "I  remember  not  more  than  ten 
years  ago  my  son's  wife  was  stopping  at  our 
house,  and  she  had  left  her  child  at  home 
while  she  come  away  for  a  rest.  And  after 
she  had  been  there  two  or  three  days,  one 
morning  she  was  sitting  in  the  kitchen  'long 
o'  the  folks,  and  all  of  a  sudden  she  jumped 
out  of  her  chair  and  ran  into  the  bedroom, 
and  next  minute  she  come  out  laughing,  and 
looking  kind  of  scared.  *  I  could  ha'  taken 
my  oath,'  says  she, '  that  I  heard  Katy  cryin' 
out  mother,'  says  she,  'just  as  if  she  was 
hurt.  I  heard  it  so  plain  that  before  I  stopped 
to  think  it  seemed  as  if  she  were  right  in  the 
next  room.  I  'm  afeard  something  has  hap- 
pened.' But  the  folks  laughed,  and  said  she 


174  DEEPHAVEN 

must  ha'  heard  one  of  the  lambs.  '  No,  it 
wasn't,'  says  she,  'it  was  Katy.'  And  sure 
enough,  just  after  dinner  a  young  man  who 
lived  neighbor  to  her  come  riding  into  the 
yard  post-haste  to  get  her  to  go  home,  for  the 
baby  had  pulled  some  hot  water  over  onto 
herself  and  was  nigh  scalded  to  death  and 
cryin'  for  her  mother  every  minute.  Now, 
who 's  going  to  explain  that  ?  It  was  n't  any 
common  hearing  that  heard  that  child's  cryin' 
fifteen  miles.  And  I  can  tell  you  another 
thing  that  happened  among  my  own  folks. 
There  was  an  own  pousin  of  mine  married  to 
a  man  by  the  name  of  John  Hathorn.  He 
was  trading  up  to  Parson sfielel,  and  business 
run  down,  so  he  wound  up  there,  and  thought 
he  'd  make  a  new  start.  He  moved  down  to 
Denby,  and  while  he  was  getting  under  way, 
he  left  his  family  up  to  the  old  place,  and  at 
the  time  I  speak  of,  was  going  to  move  'em 
down  in  about  a  fortnight. 

"  One  morning  his  wife  was  fidgeting 
round,  and  finally  she  came  downstairs  with 
her  bonnet  and  shawl  on,  and  said  somebody 
must  put  the  horse  right  into  the  wagon  and 
take  her  down  to  Denby.  '  Why,  what  for, 
mother  ?  '  they  says.  *  Don't  stop  to  talk,'  says 
she  ;  *  your  father  is  sick,  and  wants  me.  It 's 


GUNNER-FISHING  175 

been  a-worrying  me  since  before  day,  and  I 
can't  stand  it  no  longer.'  And  the  short  of 
the  story  is  that  she  kept  hurrying  'em  faster 
and  faster,  and  then  she  got  hold  of  the  reins 
herself,  and  when  they  got  within  five  miles 
of  the  place  the  horse  fell  dead,  and  she  was 
nigh  about  crazy,  and  they  took  another 
horse  at  a  farmhouse  on  the  road.  It  was 
the  spring  of  the  year,  and  the  going  was 
dreadful,  and  when  they  got  to  the  house 
John  Hathorn  had  just  died,  and  he  had 
been  calling  for  his  wife  up  to  'most  the  last 
breath  he  drew.  He  had  been  taken  sick 
sudden  the  day  before,  but  the  folks  knew  it 
was  bad  travelling,  and  that  she  was  a  feeble 
woman  to  come  near  thirty  miles,  and  they 
had  no  idee  he  was  so  bad  off.  I  'm  telling 
you  the  living  truth,"  said  Captain  Sands, 
with  an  emphatic  shake  of  his  head.  "  There 's 
more  folks  than  me  can  tell  about  it,  and  if 
you  were  goin'  to  keel-haul  me  next  minute, 
and  hang  me  to  the  yard-arm  afterward,  I 
could  n't  say  it  different.  I  was  up  to  Parsons- 
field  to  the  funeral ;  it  was  just  after  I  quit 
following  the  sea.  I  never  saw  a  woman  so 
broke  down  as  she  was.  John  was  a  nice  man , 
stiddy  and  pleasant-spoken  and  straightfor- 
rard  and  kind  to  his  folks.  He  belonged  to 


176  DEEPHAYKN 

the  Odd  Fellows,  and  they  all  marched  to 
the  funeral.  There  was  a  good  deal  of  re- 
spect shown  him,  I  tell  ye. 

"  There  is  another  story  I  'd  like  to  have 
ye  hear,  if  it 's  so  that  you  ain't  beat  out 
hearing  me  talk.  When  I  get  going  I  slip 
along  as  easy  as  a  schooner  wing-and-wing 
afore  the  wind. 

"  This  happened  to  my  own  father,  but  I 
never  heard  him  say  much  about  it ;  never 
could  get  him  to  talk  it  over  to  any  length, 
best  I  could  do.  But  gran'ther,  his  father, 
told  me  about  it  nigh  upon  fifty  times,  first 
and  last,  and  always  the  same  way.  Gran'- 
ther lived  to  be  old,  and  there  was  ten  or  a 
dozen  years  after  his  wife  died  that  he  lived 
year  and  year  about  with  Uncle  Tobias's  folks 
and  our  folks.  Uncle  Tobias  lived  over  on 
the  Ridge.  I  got  home  from  my  first  v'y'ge 
as  mate  of  the  Daylight  just  in  time  for  his 
funeral.  I  was  disapp'inted  to  find  the  old 
man  was  gone.  I  'd  fetched  him  some  first- 
rate  tobacco,  for  he  was  a  great  hand  to 
smoke,  and  I  was  calc'latin'  on  his  being 
pleased  :  old  folks  like  to  be  thought  of,  and 
then  he  set  more  by  me  than  by  the  other 
boys.  I  know  I  used  to  be  sorry  for  him 
when  I  was  a  little  fellow.  My  father's  sec- 


GUNNER-FISHING  177 

ond  wife  she  was  a  well-meaning  woman,  but 
an  awful  driver  with  her  work,  and  she  was 
always  making  of  him  feel  he  was  n't  no  use. 
I  do'  know  as  she  meant  to,  either.  He  never 
said  nothing,  and  he  was  always  just  so 
pleasant,  and  he  was  fond  of  his  book,  and 
used  to  set  round  reading,  and  tried  to  keep 
himself  out  of  the  way  just  as  much  as  he 
could.  There  was  one  winter  when  I  was 
small  that  I  had  the  scarlet-fever,  and  was 
very  slim  for  a  long  time  afterward,  and  I 
used  to  keep  along  o'  gran'ther,  and  he  would 
tell  me  stories.  He  'd  been  a  sailor,  —  it  runs 
in  our  blood  to  f  oiler  the  sea,  —  and  he  'd 
been  wrecked  two  or  three  times  and  been 
taken  by  the  Algerine  pirates.  You  remind 
me  to  tell  you  some  time  about  that;  and  I 
wonder  if  you  ever  heard  about  old  Citizen 
Leigh,  that  used  to  be  about  here  when  I 
was  a  boy.  He  was  taken  by  the  Algerines 
once,  same 's  gran'ther,  and  they  was  dread- 
ful f 'erce  just  then,  and  they  sent  him  home 
to  get  the  ransom  money  for  the  crew ;  but 
it  was  a  monstrous  price  they  asked,  and  the 
owners  would  n't  give  it  to  him,  and  they 
s' posed  likely  the  men  was  dead  by  that 
time,  any  way.  Old  Citizen  Leigh  he  went 
crazy,  and  used  to  go  about  the  streets  with 


178  DEEPHAVEN 

a  bundle  of  papers  in  his  hands  year  in  and 
year  out.  I  've  seen  him  a  good  many  times. 
Gran'ther  used  to  tell  me  how  he  escaped. 
I  '11  remember  it  for  ye  some  day  if  you  '11 
put  me  in  mind. 

"  I  got  to  be  mate  when  I  was  twenty,  and 
I  was  as  strong  a  fellow  as  you  could  scare 
up,  and  darin' !  —  why,  it  makes  my  blood 
run  cold  when  I  think  of  the  reckless  things 
I  used  to  do.  I  was  off  at  sea  after  I  was 
fifteen  year  old,  and  there  was  n't  anybody 
so  glad  to  see  me  as  gran'ther  when  I  came 
home.  I  expect  he  used  to  be  lonesome  after 
I  went  off,  but  then  his  mind  failed  him  quite 
a  while  before  he  died.  Father  was  clever  to 
him,  and  he  'd  get  him  anything  he  spoke 
about;  but  he  wasn't  a  man  to  set  round 
and  talk,  and  he  never  took  notice  himself 
when  gran'ther  was  out  of  tobacco,  so  some- 
times it  would  be  a  day  or  two.  I  know  bet- 
ter how  he  used  to  feel  now  that  I  'm  getting 
to  be  along  in  years  myself,  and  likely  to  be 
some  care  to  the  folks  before  long.  I  never 
could  bear  to  see  old  folks  neglected ;  nice 
old  men  and  women  who  have  worked  hard 
in  their  day  and  been  useful  and  willin'.  I  've 
seen  'em  many  a  time  when  they  could  n't 
help  knowing  that  the  folks  would  a  little 


CUNNER-FISHING  179 

rather  they  'd  be  in  heaven,  and  a  good  re- 
spectable headstone  put  up  for  'em  in  the 
burying-ground. 

"  Well,  now,  I  'm  sure  I  've  forgot  what  I 
was  going  to  tell  you.  O,  yes ;  about  grand- 
mother dreaming  about  father  when  he  come 
home  from  sea.  Well,  to  go  back  to  the  first 
of  it,  gran'ther  never  was  rugged;  he  had 
ship-fever  when  he  was  a  young  man,  and 
though  he  lived  to  be  so  old,  he  never  could 
work  hard  and  never  got  forehanded ;  and 
Aunt  Hannah  Starbird  over  at  East  Parish 
took  my  sister  to  fetch  up,  because  she  was 
named  for  her,  and  Melinda  and  Tobias 
stayed  at  home  with  the  old  folks,  and  my 
father  went  to  live  with  an  uncle  over  in 
Kiverport,  whom  he  was  named  for.  He  was 
in  the  West  India  trade  and  was  well-off,  and 
he  had  no  children,  so  they  expected  he  would 
do  well  by  father.  He  was  dreadful  high- 
tempered.  I  've  heard  say  he  had  the  worst 
temper  that  was  ever  raised  in  Deephaven. 

"  One  day  he  set  father  to  putting  some 
cherries  into  a  bar'l  of  rum,  and  went  off 
down  to  his  wharf  to  see  to  the  loading  of  a 
vessel,  and  afore  he  come  back  father  found 
he  'd  got  hold  of  the  wrong  bar'l,  and  had 
sp'ilt  a  bar'l  of  the  best  Holland  gin;  he 


180  DEEPHA YEN 

tried  to  get  the  cherries  out,  but  that  was  n't 
any  use,  and  he  was  dreadful  afraid  of  Uncle 
Matthew,  and  he  run  away,  and  never  was 
heard  of  from  that  time  out.  They  supposed 
he  'd  run  away  to  sea,  as  he  had  a  leaning 
that  way,  but  nobody  ever  knew  for  certain ; 
and  his  mother  she  'most  mourned  herself 
to  death.  Gran'ther  told  me  that  it  got  so 
at  last  that  if  they  could  only  know  for  sure 
that  he  was  dead  it  was  all  they  would  ask. 
But  it  went  on  four  years,  and  gran'ther  got 
used  to  it  some ;  though  grandmother  never 
would  give  up.  And  one  morning  early,  be- 
fore day,  she  waked  him  up,  and  says  she, 
'  We  're  going  to  hear  from  Matthew.  Get 
up  quick  and  go  down  to  the  store ! '  '  Non- 
sense,' says  he.  *  I  've  seen  him,'  says  grand- 
mother, '  and  he  's  coming  home.  He  looks 
older,  but  just  the  same  other  ways,  and 
he  's  got  long  hair,  like  a  horse's  mane,  all 
down  over  his  shoulders.'  '  Well,  let  the  dead 
rest,'  says  gran'ther ;  '  you  've  thought  about 
the  boy  till  your  head  is  turned.'  *  I  tell  you 
I  saw  Matthew  himself,'  says  she,  *  and  I 
want  you  to  go  right  down  to  see  if  there 
is  n't  a  letter.'  And  she  kept  at  him  till  he 
saddled  the  horse,  and  he  got  down  to  the 
store  before  it  was  opened  in  the  morning, 


GUNNER-FISHING  181 

and  he  had  to  wait  round,  and  when  the  man 
came  over  to  unlock  it  he  was  'most  ashamed 
to  tell  what  his  errand  was,  for  he  had  been 
so  many  times,  and  everybody  supposed  the 
boy  was  dead.  When  he  asked  for  a  letter, 
the  man  said  there  was  none  there,  and  asked 
if  he  was  expecting  any  particular  one.  He 
didn't  get  many  letters,  I  s'pose;  all  his 
folks  lived  about  here,  and  people  did  n't 
write  any  to  speak  of  in  those  days.  Gran'- 
ther  said  he  thought  he  would  n't  make  such 
a  fool  of  himself  again,  but  he  did  n't  say 
anything,  and  he  waited  round  a  while,  talk- 
ing to  one  and  another  who  came  up,  and 
by  and  by  says  the  store-keeper,  who  was 
reading  a  newspaper  that  had  just  come, 
'  Here  's  some  news  for  you,  Sands,  I  do  be- 
lieve! There  are  three  vessels  come  into 
Boston  Harbor  that  have  been  out  whaling 
and  sealing  in  the  South  Seas  for  three  or 
four  years,  and  your  son  Matthew's  name  is 
down  on  the  list  of  the  crew.'  '  I  tell  ye,' 
says  gran'ther,  '  I  took  that  paper,  and  I 
got  on  my  horse  and  put  for  home,  and  your 
grandmother  she  hailed  me,  and  she  said, 
"  You  've  heard,  have  n't  you  ?  "  before  I 
told  her  a  word.' 

"  Gran'ther  he  got  his  breakfast  and  started 


182  DEEPHAVEN 

right  off  for  Boston,  and  got  there  early  the 
second  day,  and  went  right  down  on  the 
wharves.  Somebody  lent  him  a  boat,  and  he 
went  out  to  where  there  were  two  sealers 
laying  off  riding  at  anchor,  and  he  asked  a 
sailor  if  Matthew  was  aboard.  '  Ay,  ay,'  says 
the  sailor,  '  he  's  down  below.'  And  he  sung 
out  for  him,  and  when  he  come  up  out  of 
the  hold  his  hair  was  long,  down  over  his 
shoulders  like  a  horse's  mane,  just  as  his 
mother  saw  it  in  the  dream.  Gran'ther  he 
did  n't  know  what  to  say,  —  it  scared  him, — 
and  he  asked  how  it  happened  ;  and  father 
told  how  they  'd  been  off  sealing  in  the  South 
Seas,  and  he  and  another  man  had  lived 
alone  on  an  island  for  months,  and  the  whole 
crew  had  grown  wild  in  their  ways  of  living, 
being  off  so  long,  and  for  one  thing  had  gone 
without  caps  and  let  their  hair  grow.  The 
rest  of  the  men  had  been  ashore  and  got 
fixed  up  smart,  but  he  had  been  busy,  and 
had  put  it  off  till  that  morning  ;  he  was  just 
going  ashore  then.  Father  was  all  struck  up 
when  he  heard  about  the  dream,  and  said 
his  mind  had  been  dwellin'  on  his  mother 
and  going  home,  and  he  come  down  to  let 
her  see  him  just  as  he  was,  and  she  said  it 
was  the  same  way  he  looked  in  the  dream. 


GUNNER-FISHING  183 

He  never  would  have  his  hair  cut  —  father 
would  n't  —  and  wore  it  in  a  queue.  I  re- 
member seeing  him  with  it  when  I  was  a 
boy ;  but  his  second  wife  did  n't  like  the 
looks  of  it,  and  she  come  up  behind  him  one 
day  and  cut  it  off  with  the  scissors.  He  was 
terrible  worked  up  about  it.  I  never  see 
father  so  mad  as  he  was  that  day.  Now  this 
is  just  as  true  as  the  Bible,"  said  Captain 
Sands.  "  I  have  n't  put  a  word  to  it,  and 
gran'ther  al'ays  told  a  story  just  as  it  was. 
That  woman  saw  her  son ,  but  if  you  ask  me 
what  kind  of  eyesight  it  was,  I  can't  tell  you, 
nor  nobody  else." 

Later  that  evening  Kate  and  I  drifted  into 
a  long  talk  about  the  captain's  stories  and 
these  mysterious  powers  of  which  we  know 
so  little.  It  was  somewhat  chilly  in  the  house, 
and  we  had  kindled  a  fire  in  the  fireplace, 
which  at  first  made  a  blaze  which  lighted 
the  old  room  royally,  and  then  quieted  down 
into  red  coals  and  lazy  puffs  of  smoke.  We 
had  carried  the  lights  away,  and  sat  with  our 
feet  on  the  fender,  and  Kate's  great  dog  was 
lying  between  us  on  the  rug.  I  remember 
that  evening  so  well ;  we  could  see  the  stars 
through  the  window  plainer  and  plainer  as 
the  fire  went  down,  and  we  could  hear  the 
noise  of  the  sea. 


184  DEEPHAVEN 

"  Do  you  remember  in  the  old  myth  of 
Demeter  and  Persephone,"  Kate  asked  me, 
"  where  Demeter  takes  care  of  the  child,  and 
gives  it  ambrosia  and  hides  it  in  fire,  because 
she  loves  it  and  wishes  to  make  it  immortal, 
and  to  give  it  eternal  youth ;  and  then  the 
mother  finds  it  out  and  cries  in  terror  to 
hinder  her,  and  the  goddess  angrily  throws 
the  child  down  and  rushes  away  ?  And  he 
had  to  share  the  common  destiny  of  man- 
kind, though  he  always  had  some  wonderful 
inscrutable  grace  and  wisdom,  because  a 
goddess  had  loved  him  and  held  him  in  her 
arms.  I  always  thought  that  part  of  the 
story  beautiful  where  Demeter  throws  off  her 
disguise  and  is  no  longer  an  old  woman,  and 
the  great  house  is  filled  with  brightness  like 
lightning,  and  she  rushes  out  through  the 
halls  with  her  yellow  hair  waving  over  her 
shoulders,  and  the  people  would  give  any- 
thing to  bring  her  back  again,  and  to  undo 
their  mistake.  I  knew  it  almost  all  by  heart 
once,"  said  Kate,  "  and  I  am  always  finding 
a  new  meaning  in  it.  I  was  just  thinking 
that  it  may  be  that  we  all  have  given  to  us 
more  or  less  of  another  nature,  as  the  child 
had  whom  Demeter  wished  to  make  like  the 
gods.  I  believe  old  Captain  Sands  is  right, 


GUNNER-FISHING  185 

and  we  have  these  instincts  which  defy  all 
our  wisdom  and  for  which  we  never  can 
frame  any  laws.  We  may  laugh  at  them,  but 
we  are  always  meeting  them,  and  one  cannot 
help  knowing  that  it  has  been  the  same 
through  all  history.  They  are  powers  which 
are  imperfectly  developed  in  this  life,  but  one 
cannot  help  the  thought  that  the  mystery  of 
this  world  may  be  the  commonplace  of  the 
next." 

"  I  wonder,"  said  I,  "  why  it  is  that  one 
hears  so  much  more  of  such  things  from 
simple  country  people.  They  believe  in 
dreams,  and  they  have  a  kind  of  fetichism, 
and  believe  so  heartily  in  supernatural  causes. 
I  suppose  nothing  could  shake  Mrs.  Patton's 
faith  in  warnings.  There  is  no  end  of  ab- 
surdity in  it,  and  yet  there  is  one  side  of 
such  lives  for  which  one  cannot  help  having 
reverence ;  they  live  so  much  nearer  to  na- 
ture than  people  who  are  in  cities,  and  there 
is  a  soberness  about  country  people  often- 
times that  one  cannot  help  noticing.  I  won- 
der if  they  are  unconsciously  awed  by  the 
strength  and  purpose  in  the  world  about 
them,  and  the  mysterious  creative  power 
which  is  at  work  with  them  on  their  familiar 
farms.  In  their  simple  life  they  take  their 


186  DEEPHAVEN 

instincts  for  truths,  and  perhaps  they  are 
not  always  so  far  wrong  as  we  imagine.  Be- 
cause they  are  so  instinctive  and  unreasoning 
they  may  have  a  more  complete  sympathy 
with  Nature,  and  may  hear  her  voices  when 
wiser  ears  are  deaf.  They  have  much  in  com- 
mon, after  all,  with  the  plants  which  grow 
up  out  of  the  ground  and  the  wild  creatures 
which  depend  upon  their  instincts  wholly." 

"  I  think,"  said  Kate,  "  that  the  more  one 
lives  out  of  doors  the  more  personality  there 
seems  to  be  in  what  we  call  inanimate  things. 
The  strength  of  the  hills  and  the  voice  of 
the  waves  are  no  longer  only  grand  poetical 
sentences,  but  an  expression  of  something 
real,  and  more  and  more  one  finds  God  him- 
self in  the  world,  and  believes  that  we  may 
read  the  thoughts  that  He  writes  for  us  in  the 
book  of  Nature."  And  after  this  we  were  si- 
lent for  a  while,  and  in  the  mean  time  it  grew 
very  late,  and  we  watched  the  fire  until  there 
were  only  a  few  sparks  left  in  the  ashes.  The 
stars  faded  away  and  the  moon  came  up  out 
of  the  sea,  and  we  barred  the  great  hall  door 
and  went  upstairs  to  bed.  The  lighthouse 
lamp  burned  steadily,  and  it  was  the  only 
light  that  had  not  been  blown  out  in  all 
Deephaven. 


MKS.  BONNY 

I  AM  sure  that  Kate  Lancaster  and  I  must 
have  spent  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the 
summer  out  of  doors.  We  often  made  long 
expeditions  out  into  the  suburbs  of  Deep- 
haven,  sometimes  being  gone  all  day,  and 
sometimes  taking  a  long  afternoon  stroll  and 
coming  home  early  in  the  evening  hungry  as 
hunters  and  laden  with  treasure,  whether  we 
had  been  through  the  pine  woods  inland  or 
alongshore,  whether  we  had  met  old  friends 
or  made  some  desirable  new  acquaintances. 
We  had  a  fashion  of  calling  at  the  farm- 
houses, and  by  the  end  of  the  season  we  knew 
as  many  people  as  if  we  had  lived  in  Deep- 
haven  all  our  days.  We  used  to  ask  for  a 
drink  of  water ;  this  was  our  unfailing  in- 
troduction, and  afterward  there  were  many 
interesting  subjects  which  one  could  intro- 
duce, and  we  could  always  give  the  latest 
news  at  the  shore.  It  was  amusing  to  see  the 
curiosity  which  we  aroused.  Many  of  the 
people  came  into  Deephaven  only  on  special 
occasions,  and  I  must  confess  that  at  first 
we  were  often  naughty  enough  to  wait  until 


188  DEEPHA VEN 

we  had  been  severely  cross-questioned  be- 
fore we  gave  a  definite  account  of  ourselves. 
Kate  was  very  clever  at  making  unsatisfac- 
tory answers  when  she  cared  to  do  so.  We 
did  not  understand,  for  some  time,  with  what 
a  keen  sense  of  enjoyment  many  of  those 
people  made  the  acquaintance  of  an  entirely 
new  person  who  cordially  gave  the  full  par- 
ticulars about  herself;  but  we  soon  learned 
to  call  this  by  another  name  than  imperti- 
nence. 

I  think  there  were  no  points  of  interest  in 
that  region  which  we  did  not  visit  with  con- 
scientious faithfulness.  There  were  cliffs  and 
pebble-beaches,  the  long  sands  and  the  short 
sands ;  there  were  Black  Rock  and  Roar- 
ing Rock,  High  Point  and  East  Point,  and 
Spouting  Rock ;  we  went  to  see  where  a  ship 
had  been  driven  ashore  in  the  night,  all  hands 
being  lost  and  not  a  piece  of  her  left  larger 
than  an  axe-handle  ;  we  visited  the  spot  where 
a  ship  had  come  ashore  in  the  fog,  and  had 
been  left  high  and  dry  on  the  edge  of  the 
marsh  when  the  tide  went  out ;  we  saw  where 
the  brig  Methuselah  had  been  wrecked,  and 
the  shore  had  been  golden  with  her  cargo  of 
lemons  and  oranges,  which  one  might  carry 
away  by  the  wherry ful. 


MRS.   BONNY  189 

Inland  there  were  not  many  noted  locali- 
ties, but  we  used  to  enjoy  the  woods,  and  our 
explorations  among  the  farms,  immensely. 
To  the  westward  the  land  was  better  and  the 
people  well-to-do ;  but  we  went  of  tenest  to- 
ward the  hills  and  among  the  poorer  people. 
The  land  was  uneven  and  full  of  ledges,  and 
the  people  worked  hard  for  their  living,  at 
most  laying  aside  only  a  few  dollars  each 
year.  Some  of  the  more  enterprising  young 
people  went  away  to  work  in  shops  and  fac- 
tories ;  but  the  custom  was  by  no  means  uni- 
versal, and  the  people  had  a  hungry,  dis- 
couraged look.  It  is  all  very  well  to  say  that 
they  knew  nothing  better,  that  it  was  the 
only  life  of  which  they  knew  anything  ;  there 
was  too  often  a  look  of  disappointment  in 
their  faces,  and  sooner  or  later  we  heard  or 
guessed  many  stories  :  that  this  young  man 
had  wished  for  an  education,  but  there  had 
been  no  money  to  spare  for  books  or  school- 
ing;  and  that  one  had  meant  to  learn  a 
trade,  but  there  must  be  some  one  to  help 
his  father  with  the  farm-work,  and  there  was 
no  money  to  hire  a  man  to  work  in  his  place 
if  he  went  away.  The  older  people  had  a 
hard  look,  as  if  they  had  always  to  be  on  the 
alert  and  must  fight  for  their  place  in  the 


190  DEEP HAVEN 

world.  One  could  only  forgive  and  pity  their 
petty  sharpness,  which  showed  itself  in  tri- 
fling bargains,  when  one  understood  how 
much  a  single  dollar  seemed  where  dollars 
came  so  rarely.  We  used  to  pity  the  young 
girls  so  much.  It  was  plain  that  those  who 
knew  how  much  easier  and  pleasanter  our 
lives  were  could  not  help  envying  us. 

There  was  a  high  hill  half  a  dozen  miles 
from  Deephaven  which  was  known  in  its 
region  as  "  the  mountain."  It  was  the  high- 
est land  anywhere  near  us,  and  having  been 
told  that  there  was  a  fine  view  from  the  top, 
one  day  we  went  there,  with  Tommy  Dockum 
for  escort.  We  overtook  Mr.  Lorimer,  the 
minister,  on  his  way  to  make  parochial  calls 
upon  some  members  of  his  parish  who  lived 
far  from  church,  and  to  our  delight  he  pro- 
posed to  go  with  us  instead.  It  was  a  great 
satisfaction  to  have  him  for  a  guide,  for  he 
knew  both  the  country  and  the  people  more 
intimately  than  any  one  else.  It  was  a  long 
climb  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  but  not  a  hard 
one.  The  sky  was  clear,  and  there  was  a 
fresh  wind,  though  we  had  felt  none  at  all 
at  the  sea-level.  After  lunch,  Kate  and  I 
spread  our  shawls  over  a  fine  cushion  of 
mountain-cranberry,  and  had  a  long  talk 


MRS.   BONNY  191 

with  Mr.  Lorimer  about  ancient  and  modern 
Deephaven.  He  always  seemed  as  much 
pleased  with  our  enthusiasm  for  the  town  as 
if  it  had  been  a  personal  favor  and  compli- 
ment to  himself.  I  remember  how  far  we 
could  see,  that  day,  and  how  we  looked 
toward  the  far-away  blue  mountains,  and 
then  out  over  the  ocean.  Deephaven  looked 
insignificant  from  that  height  and  distance, 
and  indeed  the  country  seemed  to  be  mostly 
covered  with  the  pointed  tops  of  pines  and 
spruces,  and  there  were  long  tracts  of  maple 
and  beech  woods  with  their  coloring  of  lighter, 
fresher  green. 

"Suppose  we  go  down,  now,"  said  Mr. 
Lorimer,  long  before  Kate  and  I  had  meant 
to  propose  such  a  thing ;  and  our  feeling  was 
that  of  dismay.  "  I  should  like  to  take  you 
to  make  a  call  with  me.  Did  you  ever  hear 
of  old  Mrs.  Bonny  ?  " 

"  No,"  said  we,  and  cheerfully  gathered 
our  wraps  and  baskets;  and  when  Tommy 
finally  came  panting  up  the  hill  after  we 
had  begun  to  think  that  our  shoutings  and 
whistling  were  useless,  we  sent  him  down  to 
the  horses,  and  went  down  ourselves  by  an- 
other path.  It  led  us  a  long  distance  through 
a  grove  of  young  beeches;  the  last  year's 


192  DEEPBAVEN 

whitish  leaves  lay  thick  on  the  ground,  and 
the  new  leaves  made  so  close  a  roof  over- 
head that  the  light  was  strangely  purple,  as 
if  it  had  come  through  a  great  church  win- 
dow of  stained  glass.  After  this  we  went 
through  some  hemlock  growth,  where,  on 
the  lower  branches,  the  pale  green  of  the 
new  shoots  and  the  dark  green  of  the  old 
made  an  exquisite  contrast  each  to  the  other. 
Finally  we  came  out  at  Mrs.  Bonny's.  Mr. 
Lorimer  had  told  us  something  about  her  on 
the  way  down,  saying  in  the  first  place  that 
she  was  one  of  the  queerest  characters  he 
knew.  Her  husband  used  to  be  a  charcoal- 
burner  and  basket-maker,  and  she  used  to 
sell  butter  and  berries  and  eggs,  and  choke- 
pears  preserved  in  molasses.  She  always 
came  down  to  Deephaven  on  a  little  black 
horse,  with  her  goods  in  baskets  and  bags 
which  were  fastened  to  the  saddle  in  a  mys- 
terious way.  She  had  the  reputation  of  not 
being  a  neat  housekeeper,  and  none  of  the 
wise  women  of  the  town  would  touch  her 
butter  especially,  so  it  was  always  a  joke 
when  she  coaxed  a  new  resident  or  a  strange 
shipmaster  into  buying  her  wares ;  but  the 
old  woman  always  managed  to  jog  home 
without  the  freight  she  had  brought.  "  She 


MRS.   BONNY  193 

must  be  very  old  now,"  said  Mr.  Lori- 
mer ;  "  I  have  not  seen  her  in  a  long  time. 
It  cannot  be  possible  that  her  horse  is  still 
alive ! "  And  we  all  laughed  when  we  saw 
Mrs.  Bonny's  steed  at  a  little  distance,  for 
the  shaggy  old  creature  was  covered  with 
mud,  pine-needles,  and  dead  leaves,  with 
half  the  last  year's  burdock-burs  in  all  Deep- 
haven  snarled  into  his  mane  and  tail  and 
sprinkled  over  his  fur,  which  looked  nearly 
as  long  as  a  buffalo's.  He  had  hurt  his  leg, 
and  his  kind  mistress  had  tied  it  up  with 
a  piece  of  faded  red  calico  and  an  end  of 
ragged  rope.  He  gave  us  a  civil  neigh,  and 
looked  at  us  curiously.  Then  an  impertinent 
little  yellow -and -white  dog,  with  one  ear 
standing  up  straight  and  the  other  drooping 
over,  began  to  bark  with  all  his  might;  but 
he  retreated  when  he  saw  Kate's  great  dog, 
who  was  walking  solemnly  by  her  side  and  did 
not  deign  to  notice  him.  Just  now  Mrs.  Bonny 
appeared  at  the  door  of  the  house,  shading 
her  eyes  with  her  hand,  to  see  who  was  com- 
ing. "  Landy !  "  said  she,  "  if  it  ain't  old  Par- 
son Lorimer !  And  who  be  these  with  ye  ?  " 
"  This  is  Miss  Kate  Lancaster  of  Boston, 
Miss  Katharine  Brandon's  niece,  and  her 
friend  Miss  Denis." 


194  DEEP HAVEN 

"  Pleased  to  see  ye,"  said  the  old  woman ; 
"  walk  in  and  lay  off  your  things."  And  we 
followed  her  into  the  house.  I  wish  you  could 
have  seen  her :  she  wore  a  man's  coat,  cut 
off  so  that  it  made  an  odd  short  jacket,  and 
a  pair  of  men's  boots  much  the  worse  for 
wear ;  also,  some  short  skirts,  beside  two  or 
three  aprons,  the  inner  one  being  a  dress- 
apron,  as  she  took  off  the  outer  ones  and 
threw  them  into  a  corner ;  and  on  her  head 
was  a  tight  cap,  with  strings  to  tie  under  her 
chin.  I  thought  it  was  a  nightcap,  and  that 
she  had  forgotten  to  take  it  off,  and  dreaded 
her  mortification  if  she  should  suddenly  be- 
come conscious  of  it ;  but  I  need  not  have 
troubled  myself,  for  while  we  were  with  her 
she  pulled  it  on  and  tied  it  tighter,  as  if  she 
considered  it  ornamental. 

There  were  only  two  rooms  in  the  house  ; 
we  went  into  the  kitchen,  which  was  occu- 
pied by  a  flock  of  hens  and  one  turkey.  The 
latter  was  evidently  undergoing  a  course  of 
medical  treatment  behind  the  stove,  and  was 
allowed  to  stay  with  us,  while  the  hens  were 
remorselessly  hustled  out  with  a  hemlock 
broom.  They  all  congregated  on  the  door- 
step, apparently  wishing  to  hear  everything 
that  was  said. 


MRS.   BONNY  195 

"  Ben  up  on  the  mountain  ?  "  asked  our 
hostess.  "  Heal  sightly  place.  Goin'  to  be  a 
master  lot  o'  rosbries ;  get  any  down  to  the 
shore  sence  I  quit  comin'  ?  " 

"  O  yes,"  said  Mr.  Lorimer,  "  but  we  miss 
seeing  you." 

"  I  s'pose  so,"  said  Mrs.  Bonny,  smoothing 
her  apron  complacently  ;  "  but  I  'm  getting 
old,  and  I  tell  'em  I  'm  goin'  to  take  my  com- 
fort ;  sence  '  he '  died,  I  don't  put  myself  out 
no  great ;  I  've  got  money  enough  to  keep 
me  long 's  I  live.  Beckett's  folks  goes  down 
often,  and  I  sends  by  them  for  what  store 
stuff  I  want." 

"  How  are  you  now  ?  "  asked  the  minister ; 
"  I  think  I  heard  you  were  ill  in  the  spring." 

"  Stirrin',  I  'm  obliged  to  ye.  I  was  n't  laid 
up  long,  and  I  was  so's  I  could  get  about 
most  of  the  time.  I  've  got  the  best  bitters 
ye  ever  see,  good  for  the  spring  of  the  year. 
S'pose  yer  sister,  Miss  Lorimer,  wouldn't 
like  some?  she  used  to  be  weakly  lookin'." 
But  her  brother  refused  the  offer,  saying  that 
she  had  not  been  so  well  for  many  years. 

"  Do  you  often  get  out  to  church  nowa- 
days, Mrs.  Bonny  ?  I  believe  Mr.  Reid 
preaches  in  the  school -house  sometimes, 
down  by  the  great  ledge ;  does  n't  he  ?  " 


196  DEEPIIA  YEN 

"  Well,  yes,  he  does ;  but  I  don't  know  as 
I  get  much  of  any  good.  Parson  Reid,  he 's 
a  worthy  creatur',  but  he  never  seems  to  have 
nothin'  to  say  about  foreordination  and  them 
p'ints.  Old  Parson  Padelford  was  the  man  ! 
I  used  to  set  under  his  preachin'  a  good  deal ; 
I  had  an  aunt  living  down  to  East  Parish. 
He  'd  get  worked  up,  and  he  'd  shut  up  the 
Bible  and  preach  the  hair  off  your  head, 
'long  at  the  end  of  the  sermon.  Could  n't 
understand  more  nor  a  quarter  part  what  he 
said,"  said  Mrs.  Bonny  admiringly.  "  Well, 
we  were  a-speaking  about  the  meeting  over 
to  the  ledge ;  I  don't  know 's  I  like  them 
people  any  to  speak  of.  They  had  a  great 
revival  over  there  in  the  fall,  and  one  Sun- 
day I  thought 's  how  I  'd  go ;  and  when  I 
got  there,  who  should  be  a-prayin'  but  old 
Ben  Patey,  —  he  always  lays  out  to  get  con- 
verted, —  and  he  kep'  it  up  diligent  till  I 
could  n't  stand  it  no  longer ;  and  by  and  by 
says  he,  '  I  've  been  a  wanderer ' ;  and  I  up 
and  says,  '  Yes,  you  have,  I  '11  back  ye  up  on 
that,  Ben  ;  ye  've  wandered  around  my  wood- 
lot  and  spoilt  half  the  likely  young  oaks  and 
ashes  I  've  got,  a-stealing  your  basket-stuff.' 
And  the  folks  laughed  out  loud,  and  up  he 
got  and  cleared.  He 's  an  awful  old  thief, 


MRS.    BONNY  197 

and  he 's  no  idea  of  being  anything  else.  I 
wa'n't  a-goin'  to  set  there  and  hear  him 
makin'  b'lieve  to  the  Lord.  If  anybody's 
heart  is  in  it,  I  ain't  a-goin'  to  hender  'em ; 
I  'm  a  professor,  and  I  ain't  ashamed  of  it, 
week-days  nor  Sundays  neither.  I  can't  bear 
to  see  folks  so  pious  to  meeting,  and  cheat 
yer  eye-teeth  out  Monday  morning.  Well, 
there !  we  ain't  none  of  us  perfect ;  even  old 
Parson  Moody  was  round-shouldered,  they 
say." 

"  You  were  speaking  of  the  Becketts  just 
now,"  said  Mr.  Lorimer  (after  we  had 
stopped  laughing,  and  Mrs.  Bonny  had  set- 
tled her  big  steel-bowed  spectacles,  and  sat 
looking  at  him  with  an  expression  of  extreme 
wisdom.  One  might  have  ventured  to  call  her 
"  peart,"  I  think).  "  How  do  they  get  on? 
I  am  seldom  in  this  region  nowadays,  since 
Mr.  Reid  has  taken  it  under  his  charge." 

"  They  get  along,  somehow  or  'nother," 
replied  Mrs.  Bonny  ;  "  they  've  got  the  best 
farm  this  side  of  the  ledge,  but  they  're  dread- 
ful lazy  and  shiftless,  them  young  folks.  Old 
Mis'  Hate-evil  Beckett  was  tellin'  me  the 
other  day  —  she  that  was  Samanthy  Barnes, 
you  know  —  that  one  of  the  boys  got  fight- 
ing, the  other  side  of  the  mountain,  and  come 


198  DEEPHAVEN 

home  with  his  nose  broke  and  a  piece  <>'  one 
ear  bit  off.  I  forget  which  ear  it  was.  Their 
mother  is  a  real  clever,  willin'  woman,  and 
she  takes  it  to  heart,  but  it 's  no  use  for  her 
to  say  anything.  Mis'  Hate-evil  Beckett,  says 
she,  '  It  does  make  my  man  feel  dreadful  to 
see  his  brother's  folks  carry  on  so.'  '  But 
there,'  says  I,  '  Mis'  Beckett,  it 's  just  such 
things  as  we  read  of  ;  Scriptur'  is  fulfilled  : 
In  the  larter  days  there  shall  be  disobedient 
children.' " 

This  application  of  the  text  was  too  much 
for  us,  but  Mrs.  Bonny  looked  serious,  and 
we  did  not  like  to  laugh.  Two  or  three  of 
the  exiled  fowls  had  crept  slyly  in,  dodg- 
ing underneath  our  chairs,  and  had  perched 
themselves  behind  the  stove.  They  were  long- 
legged,  half -grown  creatures,  and  just  at  this 
minute  one  rash  young  rooster  made  a  man- 
ful attempt  to  crow.  "  Do  tell ! "  said  his 
mistress,  who  rose  in  great  wrath,  "  you 
need  n't  be  so  forth-putting,  as  I  knows 
on  ! "  After  this  we  were  urged  to  stay  and 
have  some  supper.  Mrs.  Bonny  assured  us 
she  could  pick  a  likely  young  hen  in  no 
time,  fry  her  with  a  bit  of  pork,  and  get  us 
up  "  a  good  meat  tea  "  ;  but  we  had  to  dis- 
appoint her,  as  we  had  some  distance  to  walk 


MRS.   BONNY  199 

to  the  house  where  we  had  left  our  horses, 
and  a  long  drive  home. 

Kate  asked  if  she  would  be  kind  enough 
to  lend  us  a  tumbler  (for  ours  was  in  the 
basket,  which  was  given  into  Tommy's 
charge).  We  were  thirsty,  and  would  like 
to  go  back  to  the  spring  and  get  some  water. 

"  Yes,  dear,"  said  Mrs.  Bonny,  "  I  've  got 
a  glass,  if  it 's  so 's  I  can  find  it."  And  she 
pulled  a  chair  under  the  little  cupboard  over 
the  fireplace,  mounted  it,  and  opened  the 
door.  Several  things  fell  out  at  her,  and 
after  taking  a  careful  survey  she  went  in, 
head  and  shoulders,  until  I  thought  that  she 
would  disappear  altogether;  but  soon  she 
came  back,  and  reaching  in  took  out  one 
treasure  after  another,  putting  them  on  the 
mantel-piece  or  dropping  them  on  the  floor. 
There  were  some  bunches  of  dried  herbs,  a 
tin  horn,  a  lump  of  tallow  in  a  broken  plate, 
a  newspaper,  and  an  old  boot,  with  a  num- 
ber of  turkey-wings  tied  together,  several 
bottles,  and  a  steel  trap,  and  finally,  such  a 
tumbler  !  which  she  produced  with  triumph, 
before  stepping  down.  She  poured  out  of  it 
on  the  table  a  mixture  of  old  buttons  and 
squash-seeds,  beside  a  lump  of  beeswax  which 
she  said  she  had  lost,  and  now  pocketed  with 


200  DEEPHA VEN 

satisfaction.  She  wiped  the  tumbler  on  her 
apron  and  handed  it  to  Kate,  but  we  were 
not  so  thirsty  as  we  had  been,  though  we 
thanked  her  and  went  down  to  the  spring, 
coming  back  as  soon  as  possible,  for  we  could 
not  lose  a  bit  of  the  conversation. 

There  was  a  beautiful  view  from  the  door- 
step, and  we  stopped  a  minute  there.  "  Real 
sightly,  ain't  it  ?  "  said  Mrs.  Bonny.  "  But 
you  ought  to  be  here  and  look  across  the 
woods  some  morning  just  at  sun-up.  Why, 
the  sky  is  all  yaller  and  red,  and  them  low 
lands  topped  with  fog !  Yes,  it 's  nice  wea- 
ther, good  growin'  weather,  this  week.  Corn 
and  all  the  rest  of  the  trade  looks  first-rate. 
I  call  it  a  forrard  season.  It 's  just  such 
weather  as  we  read  of,  ain't  it  ?  " 

"  I  don't  remember  where,  just  at  this 
moment,"  said  Mr.  Lorirner. 

"  Why,  in  the  almanac,  bless  ye ! "  said 
she,  with  a  tone  of  pity  in  her  grum  voice ; 
could  it  be  possible  he  did  n't  know,  —  the 
Deephaven  minister ! 

We  asked  her  to  come  and  see  us.  She 
said  she  had  always  thought  she  'd  get  a 
chance  some  time  to  see  Miss  Katharine 
Brandon's  house.  She  should  be  pleased  to 
call,  and  she  did  n't  know  but  she  should  be 


MRS.    BONNY  201 

down  to  the  shore  before  very  long.  She 
was  'shamed  to  look  so  shif'less  that  day, 
but  she  had  some  good  clothes  in  a  chist  in 
the  bedroom,  and  a  boughten  bonnet  with  a 
good  cypress  veil,  which  she  had  when  "he" 
died.  She  calculated  they  would  do,  though 
they  might  be  old-fashioned,  some.  She 
seemed  greatly  pleased  at  Mr.  Lorimer's 
having  taken  the  trouble  to  come  to  see  her. 
All  those  people  had  a  great  reverence  for 
"the  minister."  We  were  urged  to  come  again 
in  "  rosbry  "  time,  which  was  near  at  hand, 
and  she  gave  us  messages  for  some  of  her  old 
customers  and  acquaintances.  "  I  believe 
some  of  those  old  creatur's  will  never  die," 
said  she ;  "  why,  they  're  getting  to  be  ter'ble 
old,  ain't  they,  Mr.  Lorimer  ?  There  !  ye  've 
done  me  a  sight  of  good,  and  I  wish  I  could 
ha'  found  the  Bible,  to  hear  ye  read  a  Psalm." 
When  Mr.  Lorimer  shook  hands  with  her, 
at  leaving,  she  made  him  a  most  reverential 
courtesy.  He  was  the  greatest  man  she  knew ; 
and  once  during  the  call,  when  he  was  speak- 
ing of  serious  things  in  his  simple,  earnest 
way,  she  had  so  devout  a  look,  and  seemed 
so  interested,  that  Kate  and  I,  and  Mr. 
Lorimer  himself,  caught  a  new,  fresh  mean- 
ing in  the  familiar  words  he  spoke. 


202  DEEPHAVEN 

Living  there  in  the  lonely  clearing,  deep 
in  the  woods  and  far  from  any  neighbor,  she 
knew  all  the  herbs  and  trees  and  the  harm- 
less wild  creatures  who  lived  among  them, 
by  heart ;  and  she  had  an  amazing  store  of 
tradition  and  superstition,  which  made  her 
so  entertaining  to  us  that  we  went  to  see 
her  many  times  before  we  came  away  in  the 
autumn.  We  went  with  her  to  find  some 
pitcher-plants,  one  day,  and  it  was  wonder- 
ful how  much  she  knew  about  the  woods, 
what  keen  observation  she  had.  There  was 
something  so  wild  and  unconventional  about 
Mrs.  Bonny  that  it  was  like  taking  an  after- 
noon walk  with  a  good-natured  Indian.  We 
used  to  carry  her  offerings  of  tobacco,  for 
she  was  a  great  smoker,  and  advised  us  to 
try  it,  if  ever  we  should  be  troubled  with 
nerves,  or  "  narves,"  as  she  pronounced  the 
name  of  that  affliction. 


IN  SHADOW 

SOON  after  we  went  to  Deephaven  we  took 
a  long  drive  one  day  with  Mr.  Dockum,  the 
kindest  and  silentest  of  men.  He  had  the 
care  of  the  Brandon  property,  and  had  some 
business  at  that  time  connected  with  a  large 
tract  of  pasture-land  perhaps  ten  miles  from 
town.  We  had  heard  of  the  coast-road  which 
led  to  it,  how  rocky  and  how  rough  and  wild 
it  was,  and  when  Kate  heard  by  chance  that 
Mr.  Dockum  meant  to  go  that  way,  she  asked 
if  we  might  go  with  him.  He  said  he  would 
much  rather  take  us  than  "  go  sole  alone," 
but  he  should  be  away  until  late  and  we 
must  take  our  dinner,  which  we  did  not  mind 
doing  at  all. 

After  we  were  three  or  four  miles  from 
Deephaven  the  country  looked  very  differ- 
ent. The  shore  was  so  rocky  that  there  were 
almost  no  places  where  a  boat  could  put  in, 
so  there  were  no  fishermen  in  the  region, 
and  the  farms  were  scattered  wide  apart ; 
the  land  was  so  poor  that  even  the  trees 
looked  hungry.  At  the  end  of  our  drive  we 


204  DEEPHAVEN 

left  the  horse  at  a  lonely  little  farm-house 
close  by  the  sea.  Mr.  Dockum  was  to  walk  a 
long  way  inland  through  the  woods  with  a 
man  whom  he  had  come  to  meet,  and  he  told 
us  if  we  followed  the  shore  westward  a  mile 
or  two  we  should  find  some  very  high  rocks, 
for  which  he  knew  we  had  a  great  liking.  It 
was  a  delightful  day  to  spend  out  of  doors  ; 
there  was  an  occasional  whiff  of  east  wind. 
Seeing  us  seemed  to  be  a  perfect  godsend  to 
the  people  whose  nearest  neighbors  lived  far 
out  of  sight.  We  had  a  long  talk  with  them 
before  we  went  for  our  walk.  The  house  was 
close  by  the  water  by  a  narrow  cove,  around 
which  the  rocks  were  low,  but  farther  down 
the  shore  the  land  rose  more  and  more,  and 
at  last  we  stood  at  the  edge  of  the  highest 
rocks  of  all  and  looked  far  down  at  the  sea, 
dashing  its  white  spray  high  over  the  ledges 
that  quiet  day.  What  could  it  be  in  winter 
when  there  was  a  storm  and  the  great  waves 
came  thundering  in  ? 

After  we  had  explored  the  shore  to  our 
hearts'  content  and  were  tired,  we  rested  for 
a  while  in  the  shadow  of  some  gnarled  pitch- 
pines,  which  stood  close  together,  as  near 
the  sea  as  they  dared.  They  looked  like  a 
band  of  outlaws ;  they  were  such  wild-look- 


IN  SHADOW  205 

ing  trees.  They  seemed  very  old,  and  as  if 
their  savage  fights  with  the  winter  winds  had 
made  them  hard-hearted.  And  yet  the  little 
wild-flowers  and  the  thin  green  grass-blades 
were  growing  fearlessly  close  around  their 
feet;  and  there  were  some  comfortable 
birds'-nests  in  safe  corners  of  their  rough 
branches. 

When  we  went  back  to  the  house  at  the  cove, 
we  had  to  wait  some  time  for  Mr.  Dockum. 
We  succeeded  in  making  friends  with  the 
children,  and  gave  them  some  candy  and 
the  rest  of  our  lunch,  which  luckily  had  been 
even  more  abundant  than  usual.  They  looked 
thin  and  pitiful,  but  even  in  that  lonely  place, 
where  they  so  seldom  saw  a  stranger  or  even 
a  neighbor,  they  showed  that  there  was  an 
evident  effort  to  make  them  look  like  other 
children,  and  they  were  neatly  dressed,  though 
there  could  be  no  mistake  about  their  being 
very  poor.  One  forlorn  little  soul,  with  hon- 
est gray  eyes  and  a  sweet,  shy  smile,  showed 
us  a  string  of  beads  which  she  wore  round 
her  neck ;  there  were  perhaps  two  dozen  of 
them,  blue  and  white,  on  a  bit  of  twine,  and 
they  were  the  dearest  things  in  all  her  world. 
When  we  came  away  we  were  so  glad  that 
we  could  give  the  man  more  than  he  asked 


206  DEEPHA YEN 

us  for  taking  care  of  the  horse,  and  his  thanks 
touched  us. 

"  I  hope  ye  may  never  know  what  it  is  to 
earn  every  dollar  as  hard  as  I  have.  I  never 
earned  any  money  as  easy  as  this  before.  I 
don't  feel  as  if  I  ought  to  take  it.  I  've  done 
the  best  I  could,"  said  the  man,  with  the 
tears  coming  into  his  eyes,  and  a  huskiness 
in  his  voice.  "  I  've  done  the  best  I  could, 
and  I  'm  willin'  and  my  woman  is,  but  every- 
thing seems  to  have  been  ag'in'  us ;  we  never 
seem  to  get  forehanded.  It  looks  sometimes 
as  if  the  Lord  had  forgot  us,  but  my  woman 
she  never  wants  me  to  say  that;  she  says 
He  ain't,  and  that  we  might  be  worse  off,  — 
but  I  don'  know.  I  have  n't  had  my  health  ; 
that 's  hendered  me  most.  I  'm  a  boat-builder 
by  trade,  but  the  business  's  all  run  down ; 
folks  buys  'em  second-hand  nowadays,  and 
you  can't  make  nothing.  I  can't  stand  it  to 
foller  deep-sea  fishing,  and  —  well,  you  see 
what  my  land 's  wuth.  But  my  oldest  boy, 
he 's  getting  ahead.  He  pushed  off  this 
spring,  and  he  works  in  a  box-shop  to  Bos- 
ton ;  a  cousin  o'  his  mother's  got  him  the 
chance.  He  sent  me  ten  dollars  a  spell  ago 
and  his  mother  a  shawl.  I  don't  see  how  he 
done  it,  but  he 's  smart !  " 


IN  SHADOW  207 

This  seemed  to  be  the  only  bright  spot  in 
their  lives,  and  we  admired  the  shawl  and  sat 
down  in  the  house  a  while  with  the  mother, 
who  seemed  kind  and  patient  and  tired,  and 
to  have  great  delight  in  talking  about  what 
one  should  wear.  Kate  and  I  thought  and 
spoke  often  of  these  people  afterward,  and 
when  one  day  we  met  the  man  in  Deephaven 
we  sent  some  things  to  the  children  and  his 
wife,  and  begged  him  to  come  to  the  house 
whenever  he  came  to  town ;  but  we  never  saw 
him  again,  and  though  we  made  many  plans 
for  going  again  to  the  cove,  we  never  did. 
At  one  time  the  road  was  reported  impass- 
able, and  we  put  off  our  second  excursion 
for  this  reason  and  others  until  just  before 
we  left  Deephaven,  late  in  October. 

We  knew  the  coast-road  would  be  bad 
after  the  fall  rains,  and  we  found  that  Le- 
ander,  the  eldest  of  the  Dockum  boys,  had 
some  errand  that  way,  so  he  went  with  us. 
We  enjoyed  the  drive  that  morning  in  spite 
of  the  rough  road.  The  air  was  warm,  and 
sweet  with  the  smell  of  bayberry-bushes  and 
pitch-pines  and  the  delicious  saltness  of  the 
sea,  which  was  not  far  from  us  all  the  way. 
It  was  a  perfect  autumn  day.  Sometimes  we 
crossed  pebble  beaches,  and  then  went  far- 


208  DEEPEAVEN 

ther  inland,  through  woods  and  up  and  down 
steep  little  hills ;  over  shaky  bridges  which 
crossed  narrow  salt  creeks  in  the  marsh- 
lands. There  was  a  little  excitement  about 
the  drive,  and  an  exhilaration  in  the  air,  and 
we  laughed  at  jokes  forgotten  the  next  min- 
ute, and  sang,  and  were  jolly  enough.  Le- 
ander,  who  had  never  happened  to  see  us  in 
exactly  this  hilarious  state  of  mind  before, 
seemed  surprised  and  interested,  and  became 
unusually  talkative,  telling  us  a  great  many 
edifying  particulars  about  the  people  whose 
houses  we  passed,  and  who  owned  every  wood- 
lot  along  the  road.  "  Do  you  see  that  house 
over  on  the  pi'nt?"  he  asked.  "An  old  fel- 
low lives  there  that 's  part  lost  his  mind.  He 
had  a  son  who  was  drowned  off  Cod  Rock 
fishing,  much  as  twenty-five  years  ago,  and 
he 's  worn  a  deep  path  out  to  the  end  of  the 
pi'nt  where  he  goes  out  every  hand's  turn  o' 
the  day  to  see  if  he  can't  see  the  boat  com- 
ing in."  And  Leander  looked  round  to  see 
if  we  were  not  amused,  and  seemed  puzzled 
because  we  did  n't  laugh.  Happily,  his  next 
story  was  funny. 

We  saw  a  sleepy  little  owl  on  the  dead 
branch  of  a  pine  tree ;  we  saw  a  rabbit  cross 
the  road  and  disappear  in  a  clump  of  juni- 


IN  SHADOW  209 

per,  and  squirrels  run  up  and  down  trees 
and  along  the  stone-walls  with  acorns  in  their 
mouths.  We  passed  straggling  thickets  of 
the  upland  sumach,  leafless,  and  holding  high 
their  ungainly  spikes  of  red  berries ;  there 
were  sturdy  barberry-bushes  along  the  lonely 
wayside,  their  unpicked  fruit  hanging  in  bril- 
liant clusters.  The  blueberry-bushes  made 
patches  of  dull  red  along  the  hillsides.  The 
ferns  were  whitish-gray  and  brown  at  the 
edges  of  the  woods,  and  the  asters  and 
golden-rods  which  had  lately  looked  so  gay 
in  the  open  fields  stood  now  in  faded,  frost- 
bitten companies.  There  were  busy  flocks  of 
birds  flitting  from  field  to  field,  ready  to 
start  on  their  journey  southward. 

When  we  reached  the  house,  to  our  sur- 
prise there  was  no  one  in  sight  and  the  place 
looked  deserted.  We  left  the  wagon,  and 
while  Leander  went  toward  the  barn,  which 
stood  at  a  little  distance,  Kate  and  I  went  to 
the  house  and  knocked.  I  opened  the  door 
a  little  way  and  said  "  Hallo !  "  but  nobody 
answered.  The  people  could  not  have  moved 
away,  for  there  were  some  chairs  standing 
outside  the  door,  and  as  I  looked  in  I  saw 
the  bunches  of  herbs  hanging  up,  and  a  trace 
of  corn,  and  the  furniture  was  all  there.  It 


210  DEEPHAVEN 

was  a  great  disappointment,  for  we  had 
counted  upon  seeing  the  children  again.  Le- 
ander  said  there  was  nobody  at  the  barn,  and 
that  they  must  have  gone  to  a  funeral ;  he 
could  n't  think  of  anything  else. 

Just  now  we  saw  some  people  coming  up 
the  road,  and  we  thought  at  first  that  they 
were  the  man  and  his  wife  coming  back; 
but  they  proved  to  be  strangers,  and  we 
eagerly  asked  what  had  become  of  the  fam- 
ily. 

"  They  're  dead,  both  on  'em.  His  wife  she 
died  about  nine  weeks  ago  last  Sunday,  and 
he  died  day  before  yesterday.  Funeral 's  go- 
ing to  be  this  afternoon.  Thought  ye  were 
some  of  her  folks  from  up  country,  when  we 
were  coming  along,"  said  the  man. 

"  Guess  they  won't  come  nigh,"  said  the 
woman  scornfully ;  "  'f raid  they  'd  have  to 
help  provide  for  the  children.  I  was  half- 
sister  to  him,  and  I  've  got  to  take  the  two 
least  ones." 

"  Did  you  say  he  was  going  to  be  buried 
this  afternoon?"  asked  Kate  slowly.  We 
were  both  more  startled  than  I  can  tell. 

"Yes,"  said  the  man,  who  seemed  much 
better-natured  than  his  wife.  She  appeared 
like  a  person  whose  only  aim  in  life  was  to 


IN  SHADOW  211 

have  things  over  with.  "  Yes,  we  're  going 
to  bury  at  two  o'clock.  They  had  a  master 
sight  of  trouble,  first  and  last." 

Leander  had  said  nothing  all  this  time. 
He  had  known  the  man,  and  had  expected 
to  spend  the  day  with  him  and  to  get  him 
to  go  on  two  miles  farther  to  help  bargain  for 
a  dory.  He  asked,  in  a  disappointed  way, 
what  had  carried  him  off  so  sudden. 

"  Drink,"  said  the  woman  relentlessly. 
"  He  ain't  been  good  for  nothing  sence  his 
wife  died :  she  was  took  with  a  fever  along 
in  the  first  of  August,  /'d  ha'  got  up  from 
it  I  " 

"  Now  don't  be  hard  on  the  dead,  Mar- 
thy,"  said  her  husband.  "  I  guess  they  done 
the  best  they  could.  They  were  n't  shif'less, 
you  know ;  they  never  had  no  health ;  *t  was 
against  wind  and  tide  with  'em  all  the  time." 
And  Kate  asked,  "  Did  you  say  he  was  your 
brother  ?  " 

"  Yes.  I  was  half-sister  to  him,"  said  the 
woman  promptly,  with  perfect  unconscious- 
ness of  Kate's  meaning. 

"And  what  will  become  of  those  poor 
children?" 

"  I  've  got  the  two  youngest  over  to  my 
place  to  take  care  on,  and  the  two  next  them 


212  DEEPHAVEN 

has  been  put  out  to  some  folks  over  to  the 
cove.  I  dare  say  like  's  not  they  '11  be  sent 
back." 

"  They  're  clever  child'n,  I  guess,"  said 
the  man,  who  spoke  as  if  this  were  the  first 
time  he  had  dared  take  their  part.  "  Don't 
be  ha'sh,  Marthy!  Who  knows  but  they 
may  do  for  us  when  we  get  to  be  old?" 
And  then  she  turned  and  looked  at  him 
with  utter  contempt.  "  I  can't  stand  it  to 
hear  men-folks  talking  on  what  they  don't 
know  nothing  about,"  said  she.  "  The  ways 
of  Providence  is  dreadful  myster'ous,"  she 
went  on  with  a  whine,  instead  of  the  sharp 
tone  of  voice  which  we  had  heard  before. 
"  We  've  had  a  hard  row,  and  we  've  just 
got  our  own  children  off  our  hands  and  able 
to  do  for  themselves,  and  now  here  are  these 
to  be  fetched  up." 

"  But  perhaps  they  '11  be  a  help  to  you ; 
they  seem  to  be  good  little  things,"  said 
Kate.  "  I  saw  them  in  the  summer,  and  they 
seemed  to  be  pleasant  children,  and  it  is 
dreadfully  hard  for  them  to  be  left  alone. 
It 's  not  their  fault,  you  know.  We  brought 
over  something  for  them ;  will  you  be  kind 
enough  to  take  the  basket  when  you  go 
home  ?  " 


IN  SHADOW  213 

"  Thank  ye,  I  'm  sure,"  said  the  aunt,  re- 
lenting slightly.  "You  can  speak  to  my 
man  about  it,  and  he  '11  give  it  to  somebody 
that 's  going  by.  I  've  got  to  walk  in  the 
procession.  They  '11  be  obliged,  I  'm  sure. 
I  s'pose  you're  the  young  ladies  that  come 
here  right  after  the  Fourth  o'  July,  ain't 
you?  I  should  be  pleased  to  have  you  call 
and  see  the  child'n  if  you  're  over  this  way 
again.  I  heard  'em  talk  about  you  last  time 
I  was  over.  Won't  ye  step  into  the  house 
and  see  him  ?  He  looks  real  natural,"  she 
added.  But  we  said,  "  No,  thank  you." 

Leander  told  us  he  believed  he  would  n't 
bother  about  the  dory  that  day,  and  he 
should  be  there  at  the  house  whenever  we 
were  ready.  He  evidently  considered  it  a 
piece  of  good  luck  that  he  had  happened  to 
arrive  in  time  for  the  funeral.  We  spoke  to 
the  man  about  the  things  we  had  brought 
for  the  children,  which  seemed  to  delight 
him,  poor  soul,  and  we  felt  sure  he  would  be 
kind  to  them.  His  wife  shouted  to  him  from 
a  window  of  the  house  that  he  'd  better  not 
loiter  round,  or  they  would  n't  be  half  ready 
when  the  folks  began  to  come,  and  we  said 
good-by  to  him  and  went  away. 

It  was  a  beautiful  morning,  and  we  walked 


214  DEEPHAVEN 

slowly  along  the  shore  to  the  high  rocks  and 
the  pitch-pine  trees  which  we  had  seen  be- 
fore; the  air  was  deliciously  fresh,  and  one 
could  take  long  deep  breaths  of  it.  The  tide 
was  coming  in,  and  the  spray  dashed  higher 
and  higher.  We  climbed  about  the  rocks 
and  went  down  in  some  of  the  deep  cold 
clefts  into  which  the  sun  could  seldom  shine. 
We  gathered  some  wild-flowers ;  bits  of 
pimpernel  and  one  or  two  sprigs  of  fringed 
gentian  which  had  bloomed  late  in  a  shel- 
tered place,  and  a  pale  little  bouquet  of 
asters.  We  sat  for  a  long  time  looking  off 
to  sea,  and  we  could  talk  or  think  of  almost 
nothing  beside  what  we  had  seen  and  heard 
at  the  farm-house.  We  said  how  much  we 
should  like  to  go  to  that  funeral,  and  we 
even  made  up  our  minds  to  go  back  in  sea- 
son, but  we  gave  up  the  idea  :  we  had  no 
right  there,  and  it  would  seem  as  if  we  were 
merely  curious,  and  we  were  afraid  our  pre- 
sence would  make  the  people  ill  at  ease,  the 
minister  especially.  It  would  be  an  intrusion. 
We  spoke  of  the  children,  and  tried  to 
think  what  could  be  done  for  them :  we  were 
afraid  they  would  be  told  so  many  times  that 
it  was  lucky  they  did  not  have  to  go  to  the 
poorhouse,  and  yet  we  could  not  help  pitying 


IN  SHADOW  215 

the  hard-worked,  discouraged  woman  whom 
we  had  seen,  in  spite  of  her  bitterness.  Poor 
soul !  she  looked  like  a  person  to  whom  no- 
body had  ever  been  very  kind,  and  for  whom 
life  had  no  pleasures  :  its  sunshine  had  never 
been  warm  enough  to  thaw  the  ice  at  her 
heart. 

We  remembered  how  we  knocked  at  the 
door  and  called  loudly,  but  there  had  been 
no  answer,  and  we  wondered  how  we  should 
have  felt  if  we  had  gone  farther  into  the 
room  and  had  found  the  dead  man  in  his 
coffin,  all  alone  in  the  house.  We  thought 
of  our  first  visit,  and  what  he  had  said  to  us, 
and  we  wished  we  had  come  again  sooner, 
for  we  might  have  helped  them  so  much  more 
if  we  had  only  known. 

"  What  a  pitiful  ending  it  is,"  said  Kate. 
"  Do  you  realize  that  the  family  is  broken 
up,  and  the  children  are  to  be  half  strangers 
to  each  other  ?  Did  you  not  notice  that  they 
seemed  very  fond  of  each  other  when  we  saw 
them  in  the  summer  ?  There  was  not  half  the 
roughness  and  apparent  carelessness  of  one 
another  which  one  so  of  ten  sees  in  the  country. 
Theirs  was  such  a  little  world  ;  one  can  un- 
derstand how,  when  the  man's  wife  died,  he 
was  bewildered  and  discouraged,  utterly  at 


216  DEEPHAVEN 

a  loss.  The  thoughts  of  winter,  and  of  the 
little  children,  and  of  the  struggles  he  had 
already  come  through  against  poverty  and 
disappointment  were  terrible  thoughts;  and 
like  a  boat  adrift  at  sea,  the  waves  of  his 
misery  brought  him  in  against  the  rocks,  and 
his  simple  life  was  wrecked." 

"  I  suppose  his  grandest  hopes  and  wishes 
would  have  been  realized  in  a  good  farm  and 
a  thousand  or  two  dollars  in  safe  keeping," 
said  I.  "  Do  you  remember  that  merry  little 
song  in  '  As  You  Like  It '  ? 

'  Who  doth  ambition  shun 
And  loves  to  live  i'  the  sun, 
Seeking  the  food  he  eats, 
And  pleased  with  what  he  gets  '  ; 
and 

'Here  shall  he  see 

No  enemy 
But  winter  and  rough  weather.' 

That  is  all  he  lived  for,  his  literal  daily  bread. 
I  suppose  what  would  be  prosperity  to  him 
would  be  miserably  insufficient  for  some 
other  people.  I  wonder  how  we  can  help  be- 
ing conscious,  in  the  midst  of  our  comforts 
and  pleasures,  of  the  lives  which  are  being 
starved  to  death  in  more  ways  than  one." 
"  I  suppose  one  thinks  more  about  these 


IN  SHADOW  217 

things  as  one  grows  older,"  said  Kate 
thoughtfully.  "  How  seldom  life  in  this  world 
seems  to  be  a  success  !  Among  rich  or  poor 
only  here  and  there  one  touches  satisfaction, 
though  the  one  who  seems  to  have  made  an 
utter  failure  may  really  be  the  greatest  con- 
queror. And,  Helen,  I  find  that  I  understand 
better  and  better  how  unsatisfactory,  how 
purposeless  and  disastrous,  any  life  must  be 
which  is  not  a  Christian  life.  It  is  like  being 
always  in  the  dark,  and  wandering  one  knows 
not  where,  if  one  is  not  learning  more  and 
more  what  it  is  to  have  a  friendship  with 
God." 

By  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  the  sky 
had  grown  cloudy,  and  a  wind  seemed  to  be 
coming  in  off  the  sea,  and  we  unwillingly  de- 
cided that  we  must  go  home.  We  supposed 
that  the  funeral  would  be  all  over  with,  but 
found  we  had  been  mistaken  when  we  reached 
the  cove.  We  seated  ourselves  on  a  rock  near 
the  water ;  just  beside  us  was  the  old  boat, 
with  its  killick  and  painter  stretched  ashore, 
where  its  owner  had  left  it. 

There  were  several  men  standing  around 
the  door  of  the  house,  looking  solemn  and 
important,  and  by  and  by  one  of  them  came 
over  to  us,  and  we  found  out  a  little  more 


218  DEEPHAVEN 

of  the  sad  story.  We  liked  this  man,  there 
was  so  much  pity  in  his  face  and  voice. 
"  He  was  a  real  willin',  honest  man,  Andrew 
was,"  said  our  new  friend,  "  but  he  used  to 
be  sickly,  and  seemed  to  have  no  luck,  though 
for  a  year  or  two  he  got  along  some  better. 
When  his  wife  died  he  was  sore  afflicted,  and 
could  n't  get  over  it,  and  he  did  n't  know 
what  to  do  or  what  was  going  to  become  of 
'em  with  winter  comin'  on,  and  —  well  —  I 
may  's  well  tell  ye ;  he  took  to  drink  and  it 
killed  him  right  off.  I  come  over  two  or 
three  times  and  made  some  gruel  and  fixed 
him  up  's  well 's  I  could,  and  the  little  gals 
done  the  best  they  could,  but  he  faded  right 
out,  and  did  n't  know  anything  the  last  time 
I  see  him,  and  he  died  Sunday  mornin',  when 
the  tide  begun  to  ebb.  I  always  set  a  good 
deal  by  Andrew  ;  we  used  to  play  together 
down  to  the  great  cove  ;  that 's  where  he  was 
raised,  and  my  folks  lived  there  too.  I've 
got  one  o'  the  little  gals.  I  always  knowed 
him  and  his  wife." 

Just  now  we  heard  the  people  in  the  house 
singing  "  China,"  the  Deephaven  funeral 
hymn,  and  the  tune  suited  well  that  day, 
with  its  wailing  rise  and  fall ;  it  was  strangely 
plaintive.  Then  the  funeral  exercises  were 


IN  SHADOW  219 

over,  and  the  man  with  whom  we  had  just 
been  speaking  led  to  the  door  a  horse  and 
rickety  wagon,  from  which  the  seat  had  been 
taken,  and  when  the  coffin  had  been  put  in 
he  led  the  horse  down  the  road  a  little  way, 
and  we  watched  the  mourners  come  out  of 
the  house  two  by  two.  We  heard  some  one 
scold  in  a  whisper  because  the  wagon  was 
twice  as  far  off  as  it  need  have  been.  They 
evidently  had  a  rigid  funeral  etiquette,  and 
felt  it  important  that  everything  should  be 
carried  out  according  to  rule.  We  saw  a 
forlorn-looking  kitten,  with  a  bit  of  faded 
braid  round  its  neck,  run  across  the  road  in 
terror  and  presently  appear  again  on  the 
stone- wall,  where  she  sat  looking  at  the  peo- 
ple. We  saw  the  dead  man's  eldest  son,  of 
whom  he  had  told  us  in  the  summer  with 
such  pride.  He  had  shown  his  respect  for  his 
father  as  best  he  could,  by  a  black  band  on 
his  hat  and  a  pair  of  black  cotton  gloves  a 
world  too  large  for  him.  He  looked  so  sad, 
and  cried  bitterly  as  he  stood  alone  at  the 
head  of  the  people.  His  aunt  was  next,  with 
a  handkerchief  at  her  eyes,  fully  equal  to  the 
proprieties  of  the  occasion,  though  I  fear  her 
grief  was  not  so  heartfelt  as  her  husband's, 
who  dried  his  eyes  on  his  coat-sleeve  again 


220  DEEPHAVEN 

and  again.  There  were  perhaps  twenty  of 
the  mourners,  and  there  was  much  whisper- 
ing among  those  who  walked  last.  The  min- 
ister and  some  others  fell  into  line,  and  the 
procession  went  slowly  down  the  slope ;  a 
strange  shadow  had  fallen  over  everything. 
It  was  like  a  November  day,  for  the  air  felt 
cold  and  bleak.  There  were  some  great  sea- 
fowl  high  in  the  air,  fighting  their  way  to- 
ward the  sea  against  the  wind,  and  giving 
now  and  then  a  wild,  far-off  ringing  cry. 
We  could  hear  the  dull  sound  of  the  sea, 
and  at  a  little  distance  from  the  land  the 
waves  were  leaping  high,  and  breaking  in 
white  foam  over  the  isolated  ledges. 

The  rest  of  the  people  began  to  walk  or 
drive  away,  but  Kate  and  I  stood  watching 
the  funeral  as  it  crept  along  the  narrow, 
crooked  road.  We  had  never  seen  what  the 
people  called  "  walking  funerals  "  until  we 
came  to  Deephaven,  and  there  was  something 
piteous  about  this ;  the  mourners  looked  so 
few,  and  we  could  hear  the  rattle  of  the 
wagon-wheels.  "  He 's  gone,  ain't  he  ?  "  said 
some  one  near  us.  That  was  it,  —  gone. 

Before  the  people  had  entered  the  house, 
there  had  been,  I  am  sure,  an  indifferent, 
business-like  look,  but  when  they  came  out, 


IN  SHADOW  221 

all  that  was  changed  ;  their  faces  were  awed 
by  the  presence  of  death,  and  the  indiffer- 
ence had  given  place  to  uncertainty.  Their 
neighbor  was  immeasurably  their  superior 
now.  Living,  he  had  been  a  failure  by  their 
own  low  standards ;  but  now,  if  he  could 
come  back,  he  would  know  secrets,  and  be 
wise  beyond  anything  they  could  imagine, 
and  who  could  know  the  riches  of  which  he 
might  have  come  into  possession  ? 

To  Kate  and  me  there  came  a  sudden  con- 
sciousness of  the  mystery  and  inevitableness 
of  death  ;  it  was  not  fear,  thank  God  !  but  a 
thought  of  how  certain  it  was  that  some  day 
it  would  be  a  mystery  to  us  no  longer.  And 
there  was  a  thought,  too,  of  the  limitation  of 
this  present  life ;  we  were  waiting  there,  in 
company  with  the  people,  the  great  sea,  and 
the  rocks  and  fields  themselves,  on  this  side 
the  boundary.  We  knew  just  then  how  close 
to  this  familiar,  every-day  world  might  be  the 
other,  which  at  times  before  had  seemed  so 
far  away,  out  of  reach  of  even  our  thoughts, 
beyond  the  distant  stars. 

We  stayed  a  while  longer,  until  the  little 
black  funeral  had  crawled  out  of  sight ;  un- 
til we  had  seen  the  last  funeral  guest  go 
away  and  the  door  had  been  shut  and  fas- 


DEEPHA YEN 

tened  with  a  queer  old  padlock  and  some 
links  of  rusty  chain.  The  door  fitted  loosely, 
and  the  man  gave  it  a  vindictive  shake,  as 
if  he  thought  that  the  poor  house  had  some- 
how been  to  blame,  and  that  after  a  long 
desperate  struggle  for  life  under  its  roof  and 
among  the  stony  fields  the  family  must  go 
away  defeated.  It  is  not  likely  that  any  one 
else  will  ever  go  to  live  there.  The  man  to 
whom  the  farm  was  mortgaged  will  add  the 
few  forlorn  acres  to  his  pasture-land,  and 
the  thistles  which  the  man  who  is  dead  had 
fought  so  many  years  will  inarch  in  next 
summer  and  take  unmolested  possession. 

I  think  to-day  of  that  fireless,  empty,  for- 
saken house,  where  the  winter  sun  shines  in 
and  creeps  slowly  along  the  floor ;  the  bitter 
cold  is  in  and  around  the  house,  and  the 
snow  has  sifted  in  at  every  crack;  outside 
it  is  untrodden  by  any  living  creature's  foot- 
step. The  wind  blows  and  rushes  and  shakes 
the  loose  window  -  sashes  in  their  frames, 
while  the  padlock  knocks  —  knocks  against 
the  door. 


MISS  CHAUNCEY 

THE  Deephaven  people  used  to  say  some- 
times complacently  that  certain  things  or 
certain  people  were  "  as  dull  as  East  Par- 
ish." Kate  and  I  grew  curious  to  see  that 
part  of  the  world  which  was  considered  duller 
than  Deephaven  itself;  and  as  upon  inquiry 
we  found  that  it  was  not  out  of  reach,  one 
day  we  went  there. 

It  was  like  Deephaven,  only  on  a  smaller 
scale.  The  village  —  though  it  is  a  question 
whether  that  is  not  an  exaggerated  term  to 
apply  —  had  evidently  seen  better  days.  It 
was  on  the  bank  of  a  river,  and  perhaps  half 
a  mile  from  the  sea.  There  were  a  few  old 
buildings  there,  some  with  mossy  roofs  and 
a  great  deal  of  yellow  lichen  on  the  sides  of 
the  walls  next  the  sea;  a  few  newer  houses, 
belonging  to  fishermen;  some  dilapidated 
fish-houses ;  and  a  row  of  fish-flakes.  Every 
house  seemed  to  have  a  lane  of  its  own,  and 
all  faced  different  ways  except  two  fish- 
houses,  which  stood  amiably  side  by  side. 
There  was  a  church,  which  we  had  been 
told  was  the  oldest  in  the  region.  Through 


224  DEEPHAVEN 

the  windows  we  saw  the  high  pulpit  and 
sounding-board,  and  finally  found  the  keys 
at  a  house  near  by;  so  we  went  in  and 
looked  around  at  our  leisure.  A  rusty  foot- 
stove  stood  in  one  of  the  old  square  pews, 
and  in  the  gallery  there  was  a  majestic  bass- 
viol  with  all  its  strings  snapped  but  the 
largest,  which  gave  out  a  doleful  sound  when 
we  touched  it. 

After  we  left  the  church  we  walked  along 
the  road  a  little  way,  and  came  in  sight  of  a 
fine  old  house  which  had  apparently  fallen 
into  ruin  years  before.  The  front  entrance 
was  a  fine  specimen  of  old-fashioned  work- 
manship, with  its  columns  and  carvings,  and 
the  fence  had  been  a  grand  affair  in  its  day, 
though  now  it  could  scarcely  stand  alone. 
The  long  range  of  out-buildings  were  fall- 
ing piece  by  piece ;  one  shed  had  been  blown 
down  entirely  by  a  late  high  wind.  The 
large  windows  had  many  panes  of  glass,  and 
the  great  chimneys  were  built  of  the  bright 
red  bricks  which  used  to  be  brought  from 
over-seas  in  the  days  of  the  colonies.  We 
noticed  the  gnarled  lilacs  in  the  yard,  the 
wrinkled  cinnamon-roses,  and  a  flourishing 
company  of  French  pinks,  or  "  bouncing 
Bets,"  as  Kate  called  them. 


MISS    CHAUNCEY  225 

"  Suppose  we  go  in,"  said  I ;  "  the  door 
is  open  a  little  way.  There  surely  must  be 
some  stories  about  its  being  haunted.  We 
will  ask  Miss  Honora."  And  we  climbed 
over  the  boards  which  were  put  up  like  pas- 
ture-bars across  the  wide  front  gateway. 

"  We  shall  certainly  meet  a  ghost,"  said 
Kate. 

Just  as  we  stood  on  the  steps  the  door 
was  pulled  wide  open ;  we  started  back,  and, 
well-grown  young  women  as  we  are,  we  have 
confessed  since  that  our  first  impulse  was  to 
run  away.  On  the  threshold  there  stood  a 
stately  old  woman  who  looked  surprised  at 
first  sight  of  us,  then  quickly  recovered  her- 
self and  stood  waiting  for  us  to  speak.  She 
was  dressed  in  a  rusty  black  satin  gown, 
with  scant,  short  skirt  and  huge  sleeves; 
on  her  head  was  a  great  black  bonnet  with 
a  high  crown  and  a  close  brim,  which  came 
far  out  over  her  face.  "  What  is  your  plea- 
sure ?  "  said  she ;  and  we  felt  like  two  awk- 
ward children.  Kate  partially  recovered  her 
wits,  and  asked  which  was  the  nearer  way 
to  Deephaven. 

"  There  is  but  one  road,  past  the  church 
and  over  the  hill.  It  cannot  be  missed." 
And  she  bowed  gravely,  when  we  thanked 


226  DEEPHAVEN 

her  and  begged  her  pardou,  we  hardly  knew 
why,  and  came  away. 

We  looked  back  to  see  her  still  standing 
in  the  doorway.  "  Who  in  the  world  can 
she  be  ?  "  said  Kate.  And  we  wondered  and 
puzzled  and  talked  over  "  the  ghost "  until 
we  saw  Miss  Honora  Carew,  who  told  us 
that  it  was  Miss  Sally  Chauncey. 

"  Indeed,  I  know  her,  poor  old  soul ! " 
said  Miss  Honora ;  "  she  has  such  a  sad  his- 
tory. She  is  the  last  survivor  of  one  of  the 
most  aristocratic  old  colonial  families.  The 
Chaunceys  were  of  great  renown  until  early 
in  the  present  century,  and  then  their  for- 
tunes changed.  They  had  always  been  rich 
and  well  educated,  and  I  suppose  nobody 
ever  had  a  gayer,  happier  time  than  Miss 
Sally  did  in  her  girlhood,  for  they  enter- 
tained a  great  deal  of  company  and  lived  in 
fine  style;  but  her  father  was  unfortunate 
in  business,  and  at  last  was  utterly  ruined 
at  the  time  of  the  embargo ;  then  he  became 
partially  insane,  and  died  after  many  years 
of  poverty.  I  have  often  heard  a  tradition 
that  a  sailor  to  whom  he  had  broken  a  pro- 
mise had  cursed  him,  and  that  none  of  the 
family  had  died  in  their  beds  or  had  any 
good  luck  since.  The  East  Parish  people 


MISS    CHAUNCEY  227 

seem  to  believe  in  it,  and  it  is  certainly 
strange  what  terrible  sorrow  has  come  to 
the  Chaunceys.  One  of  Miss  Sally's  bro- 
thers, a  fine  young  officer  in  the  navy,  who 
was  at  home  on  leave,  asked  her  one  day  if 
she  could  get  on  without  him,  and  she  said 
yes,  thinking  he  meant  to  go  back  to  sea; 
but  in  a  few  minutes  she  heard  the  noise  of 
a  pistol  in  his  room,  and  hurried  in  to  find 
him  lying  dead  on  the  floor.  Then  there 
was  another  brother  who  was  insane,  and 
who  became  so  violent  that  he  was  chained 
for  years  in  one  of  the  upper  chambers,  a 
dangerous  prisoner.  I  have  heard  his  hor- 
rid cries  myself,  when  I  was  a  young  girl," 
said  Miss  Honora,  with  a  shiver. 

"  Miss  Sally  is  insane,  and  has  been  for 
many  years,  and  this  seems  to  me  the  sad- 
dest part  of  the  story.  When  she  first  lost 
her  reason  she  was  sent  to  a  hospital,  for 
there  was  no  one  who  could  take  care  of  her. 
The  mania  was  so  acute  that  no  one  had  the 
slightest  thought  that  she  would  recover  or 
even  live  long.  Her  guardian  sold  the  fur- 
niture and  pictures  and  china,  almost  every- 
thing but  clothing,  to  pay  the  bills  at  the 
hospital,  until  the  house  was  fairly  empty ; 
and  then  one  spring  day,  I  remember  it  well, 


228  DEEPHA VEN 

she  came  home  in  her  right  mind,  and,  with- 
out a  thought  of  what  was  awaiting  her,  ran 
eagerly  into  her  home.  It  was  a  terrible 
shock,  and  she  never  has  recovered  from  it, 
though  after  a  long  illness  her  insanity  took 
a  mild  form,  and  she  has  always  been  per- 
fectly harmless.  She  has  been  alone  many 
years,  and  no  one  can  persuade  her  to  leave 
the  old  house,  where  she  seems  to  be  con- 
tented, and  does  not  realize  her  troubles ; 
though  she  lives  mostly  in  the  past,  and  has 
little  idea  of  the  present,  except  in  her  house 
affairs,  which  seem  pitiful  to  me,  for  I  re- 
member the  housekeeping  of  the  Chaunceys 
when  I  was  a  child.  I  have  always  been  to 
see  her,  and  she  usually  knows  me,  though 
I  have  been  but  seldom  of  late  years.  She 
is  several  years  older  than  I.  The  town 
makes  her  an  allowance  every  year,  and  she 
has  some  friends  who  take  care  that  she  does 
not  suffer,  though  her  wants  are  few.  She 
is  an  elegant  woman  still,  and  some  day,  if 
you  like,  I  will  give  you  something  to  carry 
to  her,  and  a  message,  if  I  can  think  of  one, 
and  you  must  go  to  make  her  a  call.  I  hope 
she  will  happen  to  be  talkative,  for  I  am 
sure  you  would  enjoy  her.  For  many  years 
she  did  not  like  to  see  strangers,  but  some 


MISS   CHAUNCEY  229 

one  has  told  me  lately  that  she  seems  to  be 
pleased  if  people  go  to  see  her." 

You  may  be  sure  it  was  not  many  days 
before  Kate  and  I  claimed  the  basket  and 
the  message,  and  went  again  to  East  Parish. 
We  boldly  lifted  the  great  brass  knocker, 
and  were  dismayed  because  nobody  answered. 
While  we  waited,  a  girl  came  up  the  walk 
and  said  that  Miss  Sally  lived  upstairs,  and 
she  would  speak  to  her  if  we  liked.  "  Some- 
times she  don't  have  sense  enough  to  know 
what  the  knocker  means,"  we  were  told. 
There  was  evidently  no  romance  about  Miss 
Sally  to  our  new  acquaintance. 

"  Do  you  think,"  said  I,  "  that  we  might 
go  in  and  look  around  the  lower  rooms? 
Perhaps  she  will  refuse  to  see  us." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  said  the  girl;  "only  run 
the  minute  I  speak ;  you  '11  have  time  enough, 
for  she  walks  slow  and  is  a  little  deaf." 

So  we  went  into  the  great  hall  with  its 
wide  staircase  and  handsome  cornices  and 
panelling,  and  then  into  the  large  parlor  on 
the  right,  and  through  it  to  a  smaller  room 
looking  out  on  the  garden,  which  sloped  down 
to  the  river.  Both  rooms  had  fine  carved 
mantels,  with  Dutch-tiled  fireplaces,  and  in 
the  cornices  we  saw  the  fastenings  where 


230  DEEPS A  YEN 

pictures  had  hung,  —  old  portraits,  perhaps. 
And  what  had  become  of  them?  The  girl 
did  not  know :  the  house  had  been  the  same 
ever  since  she  could  remember,  only  it  would 
all  fall  through  into  the  cellar  soon.  But  the 
old  lady  was  proud  as  Lucifer,  and  would  n't 
hear  of  moving  out. 

The  floor  in  the  room  toward  the  river  was 
so  broken  that  it  was  not  safe,  and  we  came 
back  through  the  hall  and  opened  the  door 
at  the  foot  of  the  stairs.  "  Guess  you  won't 
want  to  stop  long  there,"  said  the  girl.  Three 
old  hens  and  a  rooster  marched  toward  us 
with  great  solemnity  when  we  looked  in.  The 
cobwebs  hung  in  the  room,  as  they  often  do 
in  old  barns,  in  long,  gray  festoons ;  the  lilacs 
outside  grew  close  against  the  two  windows 
where  the  shutters  were  not  drawn,  and  the 
light  in  the  room  was  greenish  and  dim. 

Then  we  took  our  places  on  the  threshold, 
and  the  girl  went  upstairs  and  announced 
us  to  Miss  Sally,  and  in  a  few  minutes  we 
heard  her  come  along  the  hall. 

"  Sophia,"  said  she,  "  where  are  the  gentry 
waiting  ?  "  And  just  then  she  came  in  sight 
round  the  turn  of  the  staircase.  She  wore 
the  same  great  black  bonnet  and  satin  gown, 
and  looked  more  old-fashioned  and  ghostly 


MISS    CHAUNCEY  231 

than  before.  She  was  not  tall,  but  very  erect, 
in  spite  of  her  great  age,  and  her  eyes  seemed 
to  "  look  through  you  "  in  an  uncanny  way. 
She  slowly  descended  the  stairs  and  came  to- 
ward us  with  a  courteous  greeting,  and  when 
we  had  introduced  ourselves  as  Miss  Carew's 
friends  she  gave  us  each  her  hand  in  a  most 
cordial  way  and  said  she  was  pleased  to  see 
us.  She  bowed  us  into  the  parlor  and  brought 
us  two  rickety,  straight-backed  chairs,  which, 
with  an  old  table,  were  all  the  furniture  there 
was  in  the  room.  "  Sit  ye  down,"  said  she, 
herself  taking  a  place  in  the  window-seat. 
I  have  seen  few  more  elegant  women  than 
Miss  Chauncey.  Thoroughly  at  her  ease,  she 
had  the  manner  of  a  lady  of  the  olden  times, 
using  the  quaint  fashion  of  speech  which  she 
had  been  taught  in  her  girlhood.  The  long 
words  and  ceremonious  phrases  suited  her 
extremely  well.  Her  hands  were  delicately 
shaped,  and  she  folded  them  in  her  lap,  as 
no  doubt  she  had  learned  to  do  at  boarding- 
school  so  many  years  before.  She  asked  Kate 
and  me  if  we  knew  any  young  ladies  at  that 
school  in  Boston,  saying  that  most  of  her  in- 
timate friends  had  left  when  she  did,  but 
some  of  the  younger  ones  were  there  still. 
She  asked  for  the  Carews  and  Mr.  Lori- 


232  DEEPHA YEN 

mer,  and  when  Kate  told  her  that  she  was 
Miss  Brandon's  niece,  and  asked  if  she  had 
not  known  her,  she  said,  "  Certainly,  my 
dear ;  we  were  intimate  friends  at  one  time, 
but  I  have  seen  her  little  of  late." 

"Do  you  not  know  that  she  is  dead?" 
asked  Kate. 

"  Ah,  they  say  every  one  is  '  dead,'  nowa- 
days. I  do  not  comprehend  the  silly  idea !  " 
said  the  old  lady  impatiently.  "  It  is  an  ex- 
cuse, I  suppose.  She  could  come  to  see  me 
if  she  chose,  but  she  was  always  a  ceremoni- 
ous body,  and  I  go  abroad  but  seldom  now ; 
so  perhaps  she  waits  my  visit.  I  will  not 
speak  uncourteously,  and  you  must  remem- 
ber me  to  her  kindly." 

Then  she  asked  us  about  other  old  people 
in  Deephaven,  and  about  families  in  Boston 
whom  she  had  known  in  her  early  days.  I 
think  every  one  of  whom  she  spoke  was  dead, 
but  we  assured  her  that  they  were  all  well 
and  prosperous,  and  we  hoped  we  told  the 
truth.  She  asked  about  the  love-affairs  of 
men  and  women  who  had  died  old  and  gray- 
headed  within  our  remembrance ;  and  finally 
she  said  we  must  pardon  her  for  these  tire- 
some questions,  but  it  was  so  rarely  she  saw 
any  one  direct  from  Boston,  of  whom  she 


MISS    CHAUNCEY  233 

could  inquire  concerning  these  old  friends 
and  relatives  of  her  family. 

Something  happened  after  this  which 
touched  us  both  inexpressibly :  she  sat  for 
some  time  watching  Kate  with  a  bewildered 
look,  which  at  last  faded  away,  a  smile  com- 
ing in  its  place.  "T  think  you  are  like  my 
mother,"  she  said  ;  "  did  any  one  ever  say  to 
you  that  you  are  like  my  mother  ?  Will  you 
let  me  see  your  forehead  ?  Yes ;  and  your 
hair  is  only  a  little  darker."  Kate  had  risen 
when  Miss  Chauncey  did,  and  they  stood  side 
by  side.  There  was  a  tone  in  the  old  lady's 
voice  which  brought  the  tears  to  my  eyes. 
She  stood  there  some  minutes  looking  at 
Kate.  I  wonder  what  her  thoughts  were. 
There  was  a  kinship,  it  seemed  to  me,  not 
of  blood,  only  that  they  both  were  of  the 
same  stamp  and  rank  :  Miss  Chauncey  of 
the  old  generation  and  Kate  Lancaster  of 
the  new.  Miss  Chauncey  turned  to  me,  say- 
ing, "  Look  up  at  the  portrait  and  you  will 
see  the  likeness  too,  I  think."  But  when  she 
turned  and  saw  the  bare  wainscoting  of  the 
room,  she  looked  puzzled,  and  the  bright 
flash  which  had  lighted  up  her  face  was  gone 
in  an  instant,  and  she  sat  down  again  in  the 
window-seat ;  but  we  were  glad  that  she  bad 


234  DEEPHA YEN 

forgotten.  Presently  she  said,  "  Pardon  me, 
but  I  forget  your  question." 

Miss  Carew  had  told  us  to  ask  her  about 
her  school-days,  as  she  nearly  always  spoke 
of  that  time  to  her ;  and,  to  our  delight,  Miss 
Sally  told  us  a  long  story  about  her  friends 
and  about  her  "  coming-out  party,"  when 
boat-loads  of  gay  young  guests  came  down 
from  Riverport,  and  all  the  gentry  from 
Deephaven.  The  band  from  the  fort  played 
for  the  dancing,  the  garden  was  lighted,  the 
card-tables  were  in  this  room,  and  a  grand 
supper  was  served.  She  also  remembered 
what  some  of  her  friends  wore,  and  her  own 
dress  was  a  silver-gray  brocade  with  rose- 
buds of  three  colors.  She  told  us  how  she 
watched  the  boats  go  off  up  river  in  the 
middle  of  the  summer  night ;  how  sweet  the 
music  sounded ;  how  bright  the  moonlight 
was ;  how  she  wished  we  had  been  there  at 
her  party. 

"  I  can't  believe  I  am  an  old  woman.  It 
seems  only  yesterday,"  said  she  thoughtfully. 
And  then  she  lost  the  idea,  and  talked  about 
Kate's  great-grandmother,  whom  she  had 
known,  and  asked  us  how  she  had  been  this 
summer. 

She  asked  us  if  we  would  like  to  go  up- 


MISS    CHAUNCEY  235 

stairs  where  she  had  a  fire,  and  we  eagerly 
accepted,  though  we  were  not  in  the  least 
cold.  Ah,  what  a  sorry  place  it  was !  She 
had  gathered  together  some  few  pieces  of 
her  old  furniture,  which  half  filled  one  fine 
room,  and  here  she  lived.  There  was  a  tall, 
handsome  chest  of  drawers,  which  I  should 
have  liked  much  to  ransack.  Miss  Carew  had 
told  us  that  Miss  Chauncey  had  large  claims 
against  the  government,  dating  back  sixty 
or  seventy  years,  but  nobody  could  ever 
find  the  papers ;  and  I  felt  sure  that  they 
must  be  hidden  away  in  some  secret  drawer. 
The  brass  handles  and  trimmings  were  black- 
ened, and  the  wood  looked  like  ebony.  I 
wanted  to  climb  up  and  look  into  the  upper 
part  of  this  antique  piece  of  furniture,  and  it 
seemed  to  me  I  could  at  once  put  my  hand 
on  a  package  of  "  papers  relating  to  the  em- 
bargo." 

On  a  stand  near  the  window  was  an  old 
Bible,  fairly  worn  out  with  constant  use. 
Miss  Chauncey  was  religious ;  in  fact,  it  was 
the  only  subject  about  which  she  was  perfectly 
sane.  We  saw  almost  nothing  of  her  insanity 
that  day,  though  afterward  she  was  different. 
There  were  days  when  her  mind  seemed 
clear  ;  but  sometimes  she  was  silent,  and  often 


236  DEEPHAVEN 

she  would  confuse  Kate  with  Miss  Brandon, 
and  talk  to  her  of  long-forgotten  plans  and 
people.  She  would  rarely  speak  of  anything 
more  than  a  minute  or  two,  and  then  would 
drift  into  an  entirely  foreign  subject. 

She  urged  us  that  afternoon  to  stay  to 
luncheon  with  her  ;  she  said  she  could  not 
offer  us  dinner,  but  she  would  give  us  tea 
and  biscuit,  and  no  doubt  we  should  find 
something  in  Miss  Carew's  basket,  as  she 
was  always  kind  in  remembering  her  fancies. 
Miss  Honora  had  told  us  to  decline,  if  she 
asked  us  to  stay  ;  but  I  should  have  liked  to 
see  her  sit  at  the  head  of  her  table,  and  to  be 
a  guest  at  such  a  lunch-party. 

Poor  creature  !  it  was  a  blessed  thing  that 
her  shattered  reason  made  her  unconscious 
of  the  change  in  her  fortunes,  and  incapable 
of  comparing  the  end  of  her  life  with  its 
beginning.  To  herself  she  was  still  Miss 
Chauncey,  a  gentlewoman  of  high  family, 
possessed  of  unusual  worldly  advantages. 
The  remembrance  of  her  cruel  trials  and  sor- 
rows had  faded  from  her  mind.  She  had  no 
idea  of  the  poverty  of  her  surroundings  when 
she  paced  back  and  forth,  with  stately  steps, 
on  the  ruined  terraces  of  her  garden ;  the 
ranks  of  lilies  and  the  conserve-roses  were 


MISS    CHA.UNCEY  237 

still  in  bloom  for  her,  and  the  box-borders 
were  as  trimly  kept  as  ever ;  and  when  she 
pointed  out  to  us  the  distant  steeples  of  Riv- 
erport,  it  was  plain  to  see  that  it  was  still 
the  Riverport  of  her  girlhood.  If  the  boat- 
landing  at  the  foot  of  the  garden  had  long 
ago  dropped  into  the  river  and  gone  out  with 
the  tide  ;  if  the  maids  and  men  who  used  to 
do  her  bidding  were  all  out  of  hearing ;  if 
there  had  been  no  dinner  company  that  day 
and  no  guests  were  expected  for  the  even- 
ing, —  what  did  it  matter  ?  The  twilight  had 
closed  around  her  gradually,  and  she  was 
alone  in  her  house,  but  she  did  not  heed  the 
ruin  of  it  or  the  absence  of  her  friends.  On 
the  morrow,  life  would  again  go  on. 

We  always  used  to  ask  her  to  read  the 
Bible  to  us,  after  Mr.  Lorimer  had  told  us 
how  grand  and  beautiful  it  was  to  listen  to 
her.  I  shall  never  hear  some  of  the  Psalms 
or  some  chapters  of  Isaiah  again  without  be- 
ing reminded  of  her ;  and  I  remember  just 
now,  as  I  write,  one  summer  afternoon  when 
Kate  and  I  had  lingered  later  than  usual, 
and  we  sat  in  the  upper  room  looking  out 
on  the  river  and  the  shore  beyond,  where 
the  light  had  begun  to  grow  golden  as  the 
day  drew  near  sunset.  Miss  Sally  had  opened 


238  DEEPHA VEN 

the  great  book  at  random  and  read  slowly, 
"  In  my  Father's  house  are  many  mansions  " ; 
and  then,  looking  off  for  a  moment  at  a  leaf 
which  had  drifted  into  the  window-recess, 
she  repeated  it :  "  In  my  Father's  house  are 
many  mansions  ;  if  it  were  not  so,  I  would 
have  told  you."  Then  she  went  on  slowly  to 
the  end  of  the  chapter,  and  with  her  hands 
clasped  together  on  the  Bible  she  fell  into  a 
reverie,  and  the  tears  came  into  our  eyes  as 
we  watched  her  look  of  perfect  content. 
Through  all  her  clouded  years  the  promises 
of  God  had  been  her  only  certainty. 

Miss  Chauncey  died  early  in  the  winter 
after  we  left  Deephaven,  and  one  day  when 
I  was  visiting  Kate  in  Boston  Mr.  Lorimer 
came  to  see  us,  and  told  us  about  her. 

It  seems  that  after  much  persuasion  she 
was  induced  to  go  to  spend  the  winter  with 
a  neighbor,  her  house  having  become  unin- 
habitable, and  she  was,  beside,  too  feeble  to 
live  alone.  But  her  fondness  for  her  old 
home  was  too  strong,  and  one  day  she  stole 
away  from  the  people  who  took  care  of  her, 
and  crept  in  through  the  cellar,  where  she 
had  to  wade  through  half-frozen  water,  and 
then  went  upstairs,  where  she  seated  herself 
at  a  front  window  and  called  joyfully  to  the 


JfISS    CHAUNCEY  239 

people  who  went  by,  asking  them  to  come  in 
to  see  her,  as  she  had  got  home  again.  After 
this  she  was  very  ill,  and  one  day,  when  she 
was  half  delirious,  they  missed  her,  and  found 
her  at  last  sitting  on  her  hall  stairway,  which 
she  was  too  feeble  to  climb.  She  lived  but  a 
short  time  afterwards,  and  in  her  last  days 
her  mind  seemed  perfectly  clear.  She  said 
over  and  over  again  how  good  God  had  al- 
ways been  to  her,  and  she  was  gentle,  and 
unwilling  to  be  a  trouble  to  those  who  had 
the  care  of  her. 

Mr.  Lorimer  spoke  of  her  simple  good- 
ness, and  told  us  that  though  she  had  no 
other  sense  of  time,  and  hardly  knew  if  it 
were  summer  or  winter,  she  was  always  sure 
when  Sunday  came,  and  always  came  to 
church  when  he  preached  at  East  Parish,  her 
greatest  pleasure  seeming  to  be  to  give  money, 
if  there  was  a  contribution.  "  She  may  be  a 
lesson  to  us,"  added  the  old  minister  rever- 
ently ;  "  for,  though  bewildered  in  mind,  be- 
reft of  riches  and  friends  and  all  that  makes 
this  world  dear  to  many  of  us,  she  was  still 
steadfast  in  her  simple  faith,  and  was  never 
heard  to  complain  of  any  of  the  burdens 
which  God  had  given  her." 


LAST  DAYS  IN  DEEPHAVEN 

WHEN  the  summer  was  ended  it  was  no 
sorrow  to  us,  for  we  were  even  more  fond  of 
Deephaven  in  the  glorious  autumn  weather 
than  we  had  ever  been  before.  Mr.  Lancas- 
ter was  abroad  longer  than  he  had  intended 
to  be  at  first,  and  it  was  late  in  the  season 
before  we  left.  We  were  both  ready  to  post- 
pone going  back  to  town  as  late  as  possible ; 
but  at  last  it  was  time  for  my  friend  to  re- 
establish the  Boston  housekeeping,  and  to 
take  up  the  city  life  again.  I  must  admit  we 
half  dreaded  it:  we  were  surprised  to  find 
how  little  we  cared  for  it,  and  how  well  one 
can  get  on  without  many  things  which  are 
thought  indispensable. 

For  the  last  fortnight  we  were  in  the  house 
a  good  deal,  because  the  weather  was  wet 
and  dreary.  At  one  time  there  was  a  mag- 
nificent storm,  and  we  went  every  day  along 
the  shore  in  the  wind  and  rain  for  a  mile  or 
two  to  see  the  furious  great  breakers  come 
plunging  in  against  the  rocks.  I  never  had 
seen  such  a  wild,  stormy  sea  as  that;  the 
rage  of  it  was  awful,  and  the  whole  harbor 


LAST   DAYS   IN  DEEPHAVEN          241 

was  white  with  foam.  The  wind  had  blown 
northeast  steadily  for  days,  and  it  seemed  to 
me  that  the  sea  never  could  be  quiet  and 
smooth  and  blue  again,  with  soft  white  clouds 
sailing  over  it  in  the  sky.  It  was  a  treach- 
erous sea ;  it  was  wicked ;  it  had  all  the  trem- 
bling land  in  its  power,  if  it  only  dared  to 
send  its  great  waves  far  ashore.  All  night 
long  the  breakers  roared,  and  the  wind  howled 
in  the  chimneys,  and  in  the  morning  we 
always  looked  fearfully  across  the  surf  and 
the  tossing  gray  water  to  see  if  the  light- 
house were  standing  firm  on  its  rock.  It 
was  so  slender  a  thing  to  hold  its  own  in 
such  a  wide  and  monstrous  sea.  But  the  sun 
came  out  at  last,  and  not  many  days  after- 
ward we  went  out  with  Danny  and  Skipper 
Scudder  to  say  good-by  to  Mrs.  Kew.  I 
have  been  some  voyages  at  sea,  but  I  never 
was  so  danced  about  in  a  little  boat  as  I  was 
that  day.  There  was  nothing  to  fear  with 
so  careful  a  crew,  and  we  only  enjoyed  the 
roughness  as  we  went  out  and  in,  though  it 
took  much  manoauvring  to  land  us  at  the 
island. 

It  was  very  sad  work  to  us —  saying  good- 
by  to  our  friends,  and  we  tried  to  make  be- 
lieve that  we  should  spend  the  next  summer 


li4'J  DEEPIIAVEN 

in  Deephaven,  and  we  meant  at  any  rate  to 
go  down  for  a  visit.  We  were  glad  when  the 
people  said  they  should  miss  us,  and  that 
they  hoped  we  should  not  forget  them  and 
the  old  place.  It  touched  us  to  find  that  they 
cared  so  much  for  us,  and  we  said  over  and 
over  again  how  happy  we  had  been,  and  that 
it  was  such  a  satisfactory  summer.  Kate 
laughingly  proposed  one  evening,  as  we  sat 
talking  by  the  fire  and  were  particularly 
contented,  that  we  should  copy  the  Ladies 
of  Llangollen,  and  remove  ourselves  from 
society  and  its  distractions. 

"  I  have  thought  often,  lately,"  said  my 
friend,  "  what  a  good  time  they  must  have 
had,  and  I  feel  a  sympathy  and  friendliness 
for  them  which  I  never  felt  before.  We 
could  have  guests  when  we  chose,  as  we 
have  had  this  summer,  and  we  could  study 
and  grow  very  wise,  and  what  could  be  plea- 
santer?  But  I  wonder  if  we  should  grow 
very  lazy  if  we  stayed  here  all  the  year 
round ;  village  life  is  not  stimulating,  and 
there  would  not  be  much  to  do  in  winter, 
—  though  I  do  not  believe  that  need  be 
true;  one  may  be  busy  and  useful  in  any 
place." 

"  I  suppose  if  we  really  belonged  in  Deep- 


LAST  DAYS   IN  DEEPHAVEN          243 

haven  we  should  think  it  a  hard  fate,  and 
not  enjoy  it  half  so  much  as  we  have  this 
summer,"  said  I.  "  Our  idea  of  happiness 
would  be  making  long  visits  in  Boston ;  and 
we  should  be  heartbroken  when  we  had  to 
come  away  and  leave  our  lunch-parties,  and 
symphony  concerts,  and  calls,  and  fairs,  the 
reading-club  and  the  children's  hospital.  We 
should  think  the  people  uncongenial  and  be- 
hind the  times,  and  that  the  Ridge  road  was 
stupid  and  the  long  sands  desolate;  while 
we  remembered  what  delightful  walks  we 
had  taken  out  Beacon  Street  to  the  three 
roads,  and  over  the  Cambridge  Bridge.  Per- 
haps we  should  even  be  ashamed  of  the  dear 
old  church  for  being  so  out  of  fashion.  We 
should  have  the  blues  dreadfully,  and  think 
there  was  no  society  here,  and  wonder  why 
we  had  to  live  in  such  a  town." 

"What  a  gloomy  picture!"  said  Kate, 
laughing.  "  Do  you  know  that  I  have  under- 
stood something  lately  better  than  I  ever  did 
before, —  it  is  that  success  and  happiness  are 
not  things  of  chance  with  us,  but  of  choice. 
I  can  see  how  we  might  so  easily  have  had 
a  dull  summer  here.  Of  course  it  is  our  own 
fault  if  the  events  of  our  lives  are  hindrances ; 
it  is  we  who  make  them  bad  or  good.  Some- 


244  DEEPHA VEN 

times  it  is  a  conscious  choice,  but  oftener 
unconscious.  I  suppose  we  educate  ourselves 
for  taking  the  best  of  life  or  the  worst,  do 
not  you  ?  " 

"  Dear  old  Deephaven ! "  said  Kate  gently, 
after  we  had  been  silent  a  little  while.  "  It 
makes  me  think  of  one  of  its  own  old  ladies, 
with  its  clinging  to  the  old  fashions  and  its 
respect  for  what  used  to  be  respectable  when 
it  was  young.  I  cannot  make  fun  of  what 
was  once  dear  to  somebody,  and  which  real- 
ized somebody's  ideas  of  beauty  or  fitness.  I 
don't  dispute  the  usefulness  of  a  new,  bus- 
tling, manufacturing  town  with  its  progres- 
sive ideas ;  but  there  is  a  simple  dignity  in 
a  town  like  Deephaven,  as  if  it  tried  to  be 
loyal  to  the  traditions  of  its  ancestors.  It 
quietly  accepts  its  altered  circumstances,  if 
it  has  seen  better  days,  and  has  no  harsh 
feelings  toward  the  places  which  have  drawn 
away  its  business,  but  it  lives  on,  making  its 
old  houses  and  boats  and  clothes  last  as  long 
as  possible." 

"  I  think  one  cannot  help,"  said  I,  "  hav- 
ing a  different  affection  for  an  old  place  like 
Deephaven  from  that  which  one  may  have 
for  a  newer  town.  Here  —  though  there  are 
no  exciting  historical  associations  and  none 


LAST  DAYS   IN  DEEPHAVEN          245 

of  the  veneration  which  one  has  for  the  very 
old  cities  and  towns  abroad  —  it  is  impos- 
sible not  to  remember  how  many  people  have 
walked  the  streets  and  lived  in  the  houses. 
I  was  thinking  to-day  how  many  girls  might 
have  grown  up  in  this  house,  and  that  their 
places  have  been  ours ;  we  have  inherited 
their  pleasures,  and  perhaps  have  carried  on 
work  which  they  began.  We  sit  in  some- 
body's favorite  chair  and  look  out  of  the 
windows  at  the  sea,  and  have  our  wishes  and 
our  hopes  and  plans  just  as  they  did  before 
us.  Something  of  them  still  lingers  where 
their  lives  were  spent.  We  are  often  re- 
minded of  our  friends  who  have  died ;  why 
are  we  not  reminded  as  surely  of  strangers 
in  such  a  house  as  this, — finding  some  trace 
of  the  lives  which  were  lived  among  the 
sights  we  see  and  the  things  we  handle,  as 
the  incense  of  many  masses  lingers  in  some 
old  cathedral,  and  one  catches  the  spirit  of 
longing  and  prayer  where  so  many  heavy 
hearts  have  brought  their  burdens  and  have 
gone  away  comforted?" 

"  When  I  first  came  here,"  said  Kate,  "  it 
used  to  seem  very  sad  to  me  to  find  Aunt 
Katharine's  little  trinkets  lying  about  the 
house.  I  have  often  thought  of  what  you 


246  DEEPHA VEN 

have  just  said.  I  heard  Mrs.  Pattern  say  the 
other  day  that  there  is  no  pocket  in  a  shroud, 
and  of  course  it  is  better  that  we  should  carry 
nothing  out  of  this  world.  Yet  I  can't  help 
wishing  that  it  were  possible  to  keep  some 
of  my  worldly  goods  always.  TTiere  are  one 
or  two  books  of  mine  and  some  little  things 
which  I  have  had  a  long  time,  and  of  which 
I  have  grown  very  fond.  It  makes  me  so 
sorry  to  think  of  their  being  neglected  and 
lost.  I  cannot  believe  I  shall  forget  these 
earthly  treasures  when  I  am  in  heaven,  and 
I  wonder  if  I  shall  not  miss  them.  Is  n't  it 
strange  to  think  of  not  reading  one's  Bible 
any  more  ?  I  suppose  this  is  a  very  low  view 
of  heaven,  don't  you  ?  "  And  we  both  smiled. 
"  I  think  the  next  dwellers  in  this  house 
ought  to  find  a  decided  atmosphere  of  content- 
ment," said  I.  "  Have  you  ever  thought  that 
it  took  us  some  time  to  make  it  your  house 
instead  of  Miss  Brandon's  ?  It  used  to  seem 
to  me  that  it  was  still  under  her  management, 
that  she  was  its  mistress  ;  but  now  it  belongs 
to  you,  and  if  I  were  ever  to  come  back  with- 
out you  I  should  find  you  here." 

It  is  bewildering  to  know  that  this  is  the 
last  chapter,  and  that  it  must  not  be  long. 


LAST  DAYS  IN  DEEPHAVEN          247 

I  remember  so  many  of  our  pleasures  of 
which  I  have  hardly  said  a  word.  There  were 
our  guests,  of  whom  I  have  told  you  nothing, 
and  of  whom  there  was  so  much  to  say.  Of 
course  we  asked  my  Aunt  Mary  to  visit  us, 
and  Miss  Margaret  Tennant,  and  many  of 
our  girl-friends.  All  the  people  we  know  who 
have  yachts  made  the  port  of  Deephaven  if 
they  were  cruising  in  the  neighboring  waters. 
Once  a  most  cheerful  party  of  Kate's  cousins 
and  some  other  young  people  whom  we  knew 
very  well  came  to  visit  us  in  this  way,  and 
the  yacht  was  kept  in  the  harbor  a  week  or 
more,  while  we  were  all  as  gay  as  bobolinks 
and  went  frisking  about  the  country,  and 
kept  late  hours  in  the  sober  old  Brandon 
house.  My  Aunt  Mary,  who  was  with  us, 
and  Kate's  aunt,  Mrs.  Thorniford,  who  knew 
the  Carews,  and  was  commander  of  the  yacht- 
party,  tried  to  keep  us  in  order,  and  to  make 
us  ornaments  to  Deephaven  society  instead 
of  reproaches  and  stumbling-blocks.  Kate's 
younger  brothers  were  with  us,  waiting  until 
it  was  time  for  them  to  go  back  to  college, 
and  I  think  there  never  had  been  such  pic- 
nics in  Deephaven  before,  and  I  fear  there 
never  will  be  again. 

We  are  fond  of  reading,  and  we  meant  to 


248  DEEPHA YEN 

do  a  great  deal  of  it,  as  every  one  does  who 
goes  away  for  the  summer ;  but  I  must  con- 
fess that  our  grand  plans  were  not  well  car 
ried  out.  Our  German  dictionaries  were  on 
the  table  in  the  west  parlor  until  the  sight 
of  them  mortified  us,  and  finally,  to  avoid 
their  silent  reproach,  I  put  them  in  the 
closet,  with  the  excuse  that  it  would  be  as 
easy  to  get  them  there,  and  they  would  be 
out  of  the  way.  We  used  to  have  the  maga- 
zines sent  us  from  town ;  you  would  have 
smiled  at  the  box  of  books  which  we  carried 
to  Deephaven,  and  indeed  we  sent  two  or 
three  times  for  others ;  but  I  do  not  remem- 
ber that  we  ever  carried  out  that  course  of 
study  which  we  had  planned  with  so  much 
interest.  We  were  out  of  doors  so  much  that 
there  was  often  little  time  for  anything  else. 
Kate  said  one  day  that  she  did  not  care, 
in  reading,  to  be  always  making  new  ac- 
quaintances, but  to  be  seeing  more  of  old 
ones ;  and  I  think  it  a  very  wise  idea.  We 
each  have  our  pet  books ;  Kate  carries  with 
her  a  much  worn  copy  of  "  Mr.  Rutherford's 
Children,"  which  has  been  her  delight  ever 
since  she  can  remember.  Sibyl  and  Chryssa 
are  dear  old  friends,  though  I  suppose  now 
it  is  not  merely  what  Kate  reads,  but  what 


LAST  DAYS   IN  DEEPHAVEN          249 

she  associates  with  the  story.  I  am  not  often 
separated  from  Jean  Ingelow's  "  Stories  told 
to  a  Child,"  that  charmingly  wise  and  plea- 
sant little  book.  It  is  always  new,  like  Kate's 
favorite.  It  is  very  hard  to  make  a  list  of 
the  books  one  likes  best,  but  I  remember 
that  we  had  "  The  Village  on  the  Cliff,"  and 
"  Henry  Esmond,"  and  "  Tom  Brown  at  Rug- 
by," with  his  more  serious  ancestor,  "  Sir 
Thomas  Browne."  I  am  sure  we  had  "  Fen- 
elon,"  for  we  always  have  that;  and  there 
was  "  Pet  Marjorie,"  and  "  Rab,"  and  "An- 
nals of  a  Parish,"  and  "The  Life  of  the 
Reverend  Sydney  Smith"  ;  beside  Miss  Tyt- 
ler's  "  Days  of  Yore,"  and  "  The  Holy  and 
Profane  State,"  by  Thomas  Fuller,  from 
which  Kate  gets  so  much  entertainment  and 
profit.  We  read  Mr.  Emerson's  essays  to- 
gether, out  of  doors,  and  some  stories  which 
had  been  our  dear  friends  at  school,  like 
"Leslie  Goldthwaite."  There  was  a  very 
good  library  in  the  house,  and  we  both  like 
old  books,  so  we  enjoyed  that.  And  we  used 
to  read  the  "  Spectator,"  and  many  old-fash- 
ioned stories  and  essays  and  sermons,  with 
much  more  pleasure  because  they  had  such 
quaint  old  brown  leather  bindings.  You  will 
not  doubt  that  we  had  some  cherished  vol- 


250  DEEPEAVEN 

umes  of  poetry,  or  that  we  used  to  read  them 
aloud  to  each  other  when  we  sat  in  our  fa- 
vorite corner  of  the  rocks  at  the  shore,  or 
were  in  the  pine  woods  of  an  afternoon. 

We  used  to  go  out  to  tea,  and  do  a  great 
deal  of  social  visiting,  which  was  very  plea- 
sant. Dinner  parties  were  not  in  fashion, 
though  it  was  a  great  attention  to  be  asked 
to  spend  the  day,  which  courtesy  we  used  to 
delight  in  extending  to  our  friends;  and  we 
entertained  company  in  that  way  often.  When 
we  first  went  out  we  were  somewhat  interest- 
ing on  account  of  our  clothes,  which  were  of 
later  pattern  than  had  been  adopted  gener- 
ally in  Deephaven.  We  used  to  take  great 
pleasure  in  arraying  ourselves  on  high  days 
and  holidays,  since  when  we  went  wandering 
on  shore,  or  out  sailing  or  rowing,  we  did 
not  always  dress  as  befitted  our  position  in 
the  town.  Fish-scales  and  blackberry-briers 
so  soon  disfigure  one's  clothes. 

We  became  in  the  course  of  time  learned 
in  all  manner  of  'longshore  lore,  and  even 
profitably  employed  ourselves  one  morning  in 
going  clam-digging  with  old  Ben  Horn,amost 
fascinating  ancient  mariner.  We  both  grew 
so  well  and  brown  and  strong,  and  Kate  and 
I  did  not  get  tired  of  each  other  at  all,  which 


LAST  DATS  IN  DEEPHAVEN          251 

I  think  was  wonderful,  for  few  friendships 
would  bear  such  a  test.  We  were  together 
always,  and  alone  together  a  great  deal ;  and 
we  became  wonderfully  well  acquainted.  We 
are  such  good  friends  that  we  often  were 
silent  for  a  long  time,  when  mere  acquaint- 
ances would  have  felt  compelled  to  talk  and 
try  to  entertain  each  other. 

Before  we  left  the  leaves  had  fallen  off 
all  the  trees  except  the  oaks,  which  make  in 
cold  weather  one  of  the  dreariest  sounds  one 
ever  hears:  a  shivering  rustle,  which  makes 
one  pity  the  tree  and  imagine  it  shelterless 
and  forlorn.  The  sea  had  looked  rough  and 
cold  for  many  days,  and  the  old  house  itself 
had  grown  chilly,  —  all  the  world  seemed 
waiting  for  the  snow  to  come.  There  was 
nobody  loitering  on  the  wharves,  and  when 
we  went  down  the  street  we  walked  fast, 
arm-in-arm,  to  keep  warm.  The  houses  were 
shut  up  as  close  as  possible,  and  the  old  sail- 
ors did  not  seem  cheery  any  longer;  they 
looked  forlorn,  and  it  was  not  a  pleasant 
prospect  to  be  so  long  weather-bound  in 
port.  If  they  ventured  out,  they  put  on  an- 
cient great  -  coats,  with  huge  flaps  to  the 
pockets  and  large  horn  buttons,  and  they 
looked  contemptuously  at  the  vane,  which 


252  DEEPHA YEN 

always  pointed  to  the  north  or  east.  It  felt 
like  winter,  and  the  captains  rolled  more 
than  ever  as  they  walked,  as  if  they  were  on 
deck  in  a  heavy  sea.  The  rheumatism  claimed 
many  victims,  and  there  was  one  day,  it 
must  be  confessed,  when  a  biting,  icy  fog 
was  blown  in  shore,  that  Kate  and  I  were 
willing  to  admit  that  we  could  be  as  com- 
fortable in  town,  and  it  was  almost  time  for 
sealskin  jackets. 

In  the  front  yards  we  saw  the  flower-beds 
black  with  frost,  except  a  few  brave  pansies 
which  had  kept  green  and  had  bloomed  un- 
der the  tall  china-aster  stalks,  and  one  day 
we  picked  some  of  these  little  flowers  to  put 
between  the  leaves  of  a  book  and  take  away 
with  us.  I  think  we  loved  Deephaven  all  the 
more  in  those  last  days,  with  a  bit  of  com- 
passion in  our  tenderness  for  the  dear  old 
town  which  had  so  little  to  amuse  it.  So  long 
a  winter  was  coming,  but  we  thought  with  a 
sigh  how  pleasant  it  would  be  in  the  spring. 

You  would  have  smiled  at  the  treasures 
we  brought  away  with  us.  We  had  become 
so  fond  of  even  our  fishing-lines ;  and  this 
very  day  you  may  see  in  Kate's  room  two 
great  bunches  of  Deephaven  cat-o'-nine-tails. 
They  were  much  in  our  way  on  the  journey 


LAST  DATS   IN  DEEPHAVEN          253 

home,  but  we  clung  affectionately  to  these 
last  sheaves  of  our  harvest. 

The  morning  we  came  away  our  friends 
were  all  looking  out  from  door  or  window 
to  see  us  go  by,  and  after  we  had  passed  the 
last  house  and  there  was  no  need  to  smile 
any  longer,  we  were  very  dismal.  The  sun 
was  shining  again  bright  and  warm  as  if  the 
Indian  summer  were  beginning,  and  we 
wished  that  it  had  been  a  rainy  day. 

The  thought  of  Deephaven  will  always 
bring  to  us  our  long  quiet  summer  days,  and 
reading  aloud  on  the  rocks  by  the  sea,  the 
fresh  salt  air,  and  the  glory  of  the  sunsets;  the 
wail  of  the  Sunday  psalm-singing  at  church, 
the  yellow  lichen  that  grew  over  the  trees, 
the  houses,  and  the  stone-walls ;  our  boating 
and  wanderings  ashore;  our  importance  as 
members  of  society,  and  how  kind  every 
one  was  to  us  both.  By  and  by  the  Deep- 
haven  warehouses  will  fall  and  be  used  for 
firewood  by  the  fisher-people,  and  the  wharves 
will  be  worn  away  by  the  tides.  The  few  old 
gentlefolks  who  still  linger  will  be  dead 
then ;  and  I  wonder  if  some  day  Kate  Lan- 
caster and  I  will  go  down  to  Deephaven  for 
the  sake  of  old  times,  and  read  the  epitaphs 
in  the  burying-ground,  look  out  to  sea,  and 


254  DEEPIIA  VEN 

talk  quietly  about  the  girls  who  were  so 
happy  there  one  summer  long  before.  I  should 
like  to  walk  along  the  beach  at  sunset,  and 
watch  the  color  of  the  marshes  and  the  sea 
change  as  the  light  of  the  sky  goes  out.  It 
would  make  the  old  days  come  back  vividly. 
We  should  see  the  roofs  and  chimneys  of 
the  village,  and  the  great  Chantrey  elms  look 
black  against  the  sky.  A  little  later  the 
marsh  fog  would  show  faintly  white,  and  we 
should  feel  it  deliciously  cold  and  wet  against 
our  hands  and  faces ;  when  we  looked  up 
there  would  be  a  star ;  the  crickets  would 
chirp  loudly;  perhaps  some  late  sea-birds 
would  fly  inland.  Turning,  we  should  see 
the  lighthouse  lamp  shine  out  over  the  water, 
and  the  great  sea  would  move  and  speak  to 
us  lazily  in  its  idle,  high-tide  sleep. 


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